{"id":1870445,"date":"2026-04-07T20:16:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:16:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1870445"},"modified":"2026-04-07T20:16:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:16:30","slug":"alex-eala-starts-rankings-fightback-as-she-eyes-up-an-important-breakthrough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1870445","title":{"rendered":"Alex Eala starts rankings fightback as she eyes up an important breakthrough"},"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\">Alex Eala starts rankings fightback as she eyes up an important breakthrough<\/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\/kevin-palmer\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Kevin Palmer                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"07 Apr 2026 9:16 PM\" data-ps-date=\"07 Apr 2026 9:16 PM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1775592990\"><br \/>\n                            07 Apr 2026 9:16 PM                        <\/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\/preferred_source_badge_dark.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" 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Eala starts rankings fightback as she eyes up an important breakthrough\"><\/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-celebrates-during-her-match-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Pictured: Alex Eala celebrates during her match\">                <\/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 celebrates during her match                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\"><!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/alex-eala\">Alex Eala<\/a> suffered a big slide in her WTA Ranking after the Miami Open and now she is eyeing up a return to the top 32 ahead of the French Open.<\/p>\n<p>Eala enjoyed a breakthrough run when she reached the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 event in Miami in 2025, with her heavy defeat against Linda Noskova in the last-16 of this year\u2019s event in Flordia seeing a big haul of ranking points drop off her record.<\/p>\n<p>Eala went into Miami ranked at No 32, but she dropped down to No 46 after the defeat against Noskova.<\/p>\n<p>That ranking slide would have an impact on her hopes at upcoming Grand Slam tournaments, with the top ranked 32 players getting a seeing at the French Open and Wimbledon.<\/p>\n<p>With limited ranking points to defend over the next few weeks, Eala has a big chance to leap up the rankings and she has made a solid start at the WTA 500 event in Linz.<\/p>\n<h2>More Tennis News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/alex-eala-reveals-impact-toni-nadal-coaching-lost-my-mind-confession\">Alex Eala reveals impact of Toni Nadal coaching with \u2018lost my mind\u2019 confession<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/alex-eala-top-20-ranking-clay-comments-greg-rusedski\">Alex Eala gets honest clay verdict and top 20 ranking message from former world No 4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Eala turned in an impressive ball striking display as she beat local favourite Julia Grabher 6-4, 6-3 in the first round, with her battling qualities shining through in a tight contest.<\/p>\n<p>Grabher, who has climbed from No 470 to No 89 in the world rankings over the past 15 months, showed some impressive moments of class as she pushed Eala all the way, but the Filipina star got over the winning line to seal her 15th win of the season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I kept the intensity well throughout the match,\u201d said Eala. \u201cShe\u2019s a very intense player and has really good shots. I\u2019m really happy with the win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Want more from Tennis365? Add us as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Eala has been tipped to burst into the top 20 of the WTA Rankings by former world No 4 Greg Rusedski, who believes the Filipina star is a \u2018great asset for the WTA Tour\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking on his <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=igFubrQ1FME\" target=\"_blank\">Off Court With Greg Rusedski<\/a> podcast, Rusedski discussed Eala\u2019s huge popularity and her prospects for the clay season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s like Manny Pacquiao, and they\u2019re always so hungry for a new superstar [in the Philippines],\u201d said the 1997 US Open runner-up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s a lovely girl, she\u2019s been at the Rafael Nadal academy for multiple years. We talked about the serve getting better.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s gonna be harder for people to hit a hole through her [on clay], it\u2019s gonna be much more physically combative.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing at the academy with Rafa on clay, he\u2019s spent a lot of time with her, so she knows what to do.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d love to see her in the top 20; she is great for the WTA. We need more stars, we need more names, and we need new people. And she opens up a marketplace, and people just love her.<\/p>\n<p><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><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnywhere around the world where there are people from the Philippines, they\u2019re always talking about her: \u2018What meal can I cook for her? What can I do?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAutomatically, her matches sell out, and for me, she is a huge, huge positive. I\u2019d love to see her, on this surface, crack the top 20 in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eala will not face Jelena Ostapenko in her next match in Linz, with the former French Open champion set to offer her a huge challenge.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/alex-eala-problem-emma-raducanu-comparison\">Alex Eala suffering from a problem Emma Raducanu has failed to resolve<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End --><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alex Eala starts rankings fightback as she eyes up an important breakthrough Kevin Palmer 07 Apr 2026 9:16 PM Alex Eala celebrates during her match Alex Eala suffered a big slide in her WTA Ranking after the Miami Open and now she is eyeing up a return to the top 32 ahead of the French [&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-1870445","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\/1870445","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=1870445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1870445\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1870445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1870445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1870445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}