Alex Eala will now have at least one more week off from tennis as the WTA rankings have been updated.
Alex Eala made a bold choice to represent the Philippines at the Asian Games in Japan this past September and October. Because of this, she will miss out on playing in the WTA Finals.
Instead of competing in the China Open, a required WTA 1000 event, Alex decided to take part in the Asian Games. This choice meant she risked a $10,000 fine from the Women’s Tennis Association and missed the chance to earn important ranking points at the China Open.
At 21 years old, Alex is a rising star in women’s tennis. She knew that playing at the Asian Games would mean skipping the China Open and missing out on world ranking points. Unfortunately, this meant she did not qualify for the WTA Finals.
Right now, the live WTA rankings show Alex is 17th in the world. However, she is far from the 5,740 points needed to qualify for the WTA Finals happening in November. So, it’s now impossible for her to make it to the event.
Currently, only Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka have officially secured their spots in the top eight to compete at Indian Wells next month. The latest rankings also show Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff qualifying along with them.
Even though she can’t play in the WTA Finals this year, skipping it might be good for Alex after such a busy season. By mid-August, she had already played 58 matches – more than anyone else on the WTA tour.
The WTA Finals is the last and biggest championship outside the four Grand Slam tournaments, offering top ranking points and prize money. Besides the top seven players, the highest-ranked Grand Slam winner who is ranked between 8th and 20th gets a wildcard spot too.
This year, the only player who might qualify for that spot is Wimbledon winner Linda Noskova, who already sits eighth in the rankings.
Rybakina, the world number one and confirmed for 2026, won this year’s 2025 championship by defeating Sabalenka in the final. It was Sabalenka’s second time losing in a WTA Finals final.
Alex’s choice to focus on the Asian Games was clear when she played in Nagoya. She handled her decision well and finished the tournament with a bronze medal to show for it. She won her second-round and quarter-final matches without dropping a set but then lost 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 to the eventual winner Wang Xiyu in the semi-finals.
She shared the bronze with Yulia Putintseva, who lost the other semi-final.
In early August, Alex also celebrated a major win by beating Pegula in the final of the Washington Open WTA 500, earning her first ranking event title. But despite this success, the rest of the season doesn’t leave her enough time to qualify for the WTA Finals.
Alex’s focus on representing her country and winning medals shows her strong spirit and determination as she continues to grow in the tennis world.