{"id":1815361,"date":"2026-03-09T05:53:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T02:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1815361"},"modified":"2026-03-09T05:53:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T02:53:24","slug":"wta-rankings-alex-eala-set-to-break-into-top-30-after-ailing-coco-gauff-retires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1815361","title":{"rendered":"WTA Rankings: Alex Eala set to break into top 30 after ailing Coco Gauff retires"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">WTA Rankings: Alex Eala set to break into top 30 after ailing Coco Gauff retires<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/shahidaj\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Shahida Jacobs                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"09 Mar 2026 5:53 AM\" data-ps-date=\"09 Mar 2026 5:53 AM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1773035604\"><br \/>\n                            09 Mar 2026 5:53 AM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/common\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img 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class=\"sm:hidden flex items-center space-x-5\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/common\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 dark:hidden h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/common\/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <button id=\"t365-article-share-btn-hidden\" class=\"mr-2 hidden h-6 w-6 appearance-none border-none !text-share-icon outline-none hover:!text-share-icon-active sm:hidden\" data-title=\"WTA Rankings: Alex Eala set to break into top 30 after ailing Coco Gauff retires\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Eala-with-inset-of-Coco-Gauff-1-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Pictured: Alex Eala with inset of Coco Gauff\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                Alex Eala with Coco Gauff inset                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\">\n<p>Alex Eala will continue her remarkable rise in the WTA Rankings after securing her place in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Open on the back of Coco Gauff\u2019s retirement.<\/p>\n<p>The Filipina dominated the first set against a visibly ailing Gauff as she won the opener 6-2 with the American taking a medical timeout for treatment on her left forearm while trailing 5-2.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/alex-eala\">Eala<\/a> \u2013 who l<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/alex-eala-speaks-coco-gauff-loss-dubai-championships-2026\">ost 6-0, 6-2 against Gauff<\/a> a fortnight ago in the quarter-final of the Dubai Tennis Championships \u2013 then won the first two games of the second set before the two-time Grand Slam winner retired with 54 minutes on the match clock.<\/p>\n<p>During her on-court interview, the 31st seed stated: \u201cFirst and foremost, I want to say Happy (International) Women\u2019s Day, everybody. Bear with me, because I have a lot to say.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to say thank you to all the incredible women who have paved the way and who have advocated for themselves and for other women. Among them is Coco, so thank you Coco for being an amazing competitor and an amazing role model. And I really hope that everything is well and you will recover soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Alex Eala News<\/h2>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-features\/alex-eala-cash-windfall-sponsors-popularity\">Alex Eala set for cash windfall as sponsors clamour to cash in on her huge popularity<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/wta-tour\/alex-ealas-taylor-swift-comparison-popularity\">Alex Eala\u2019s enormous popularity compared to Taylor Swift by leading voice<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>WTA Rankings Boost<\/h2>\n<p>The 20-year-old, who is playing in Indian Wells for the first time in her career, started the WTA 1000 tournament at No 32 in the rankings, but she has climbed four places in the Live Rankings on the back of her wins over Dayana Yastremska and Gauff.<\/p>\n<p>She is set to crack the top 30 for the first time, coming in at No 28 with potential to move up even higher if she continues her good run.<\/p>\n<p>Eala was the first Filipina to reach the top 100 of the WTA Rankings on the back of her semi-final appearance at the Miami Open in March last year as she started the tournament at No 140 and finished at No 75.<\/p>\n<p>Not long after she cracked the top 50 before making her top 40 debut in February with the top 30 now set to follow.<\/p>\n<p>She will face 14th seed Linda Noskova \u2013 who defeated Sorana Cirstea in three sets \u2013 for a place in the quarter-final and if she gets past the Czech she could rise as high as No 24.<\/p>\n<p>After the match, the youngster insisted that while that was not the way she wanted to win, she is taking plenty of positives from her performance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s always very difficult, a difficult decision to retire from a match, I know. No one likes winning like that, and no one likes losing like that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNevertheless, I\u2019m really happy with how I played. I\u2019m really happy with my performance, and I hope I can make the best out of the momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Want more from Tennis365? Add us as <a rel=\"noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WTA Rankings: Alex Eala set to break into top 30 after ailing Coco Gauff retires Shahida Jacobs 09 Mar 2026 5:53 AM Alex Eala with Coco Gauff inset Alex Eala will continue her remarkable rise in the WTA Rankings after securing her place in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Open on the back [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-1815361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1815361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815361\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1815361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1815361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1815361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}