By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense Alex Eala has moved up in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) world rankings after a solid performance in the Italian Open in Rome last week.

According to the list released yesterday, the 20-year-old Filipina tennis sensation moved up four spots from No. 42 to World’s No. 38 with 1,340 ranking points.

Eala earned an additional 55 points from her campaign in the clay-court tournament staged at Foro Italico from May 5 to 17.

The increase in standings continues Eala’s steady ascent this month after previously climbing from No. 44 to No. 42 earlier in May.

Earlier this season, Eala reached the Round of 16 in both the Miami Open and Indian Wells, while also making quarterfinal appearances in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The Negros Occidental’s Victorias City native Eala also opened her 2026 campaign with a semifinal finish at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

Eala is set to compete in the main draw of the Internationaux de Strasbourg in France, where she is scheduled to open her campaign against Oleksandra Olynykova.

The Strasbourg event marks another important stop in Eala’s European clay-court campaign as she continues to gain experience against top-ranked opponents ahead of Roland Garros./ASC, WDJ