Alexandra Eala continues to rewrite Philippine tennis history. After becoming the first woman from her country to crack the Top 100 earlier this year, the 20-year-old has now become the first Filipina inside the Top 50 of the WTA rankings.
Eala has climbed from No. 51 to No. 50 this week following her performance at the Hong Kong Open, where she reached the second round. Her game nearly took her further, as she was up 4-1 in the third set against close friend Victoria Mboko before eventually falling, 3-6 6-3 6-4.