ALEX EALA RISES TO WTA NO. 42, PREPARES FOR TOUGH ITALIAN OPEN CAMPAIGN

Filipina tennis star Alex Eala climbed to World No. 42 in the latest WTA rankings as she prepares for her return at the Italian Open in Rome. The WTA 1000 tournament marks her comeback after a second-round exit at the Madrid Open, where she lost to Elise Mertens. Eala has resumed training at Foro Italico and also prepared at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain to sharpen her clay-court form. She opted out of a lower-tier tournament in Catalonia to focus fully on the high-level competition in Rome. She faces a strong field led by top-ranked players such as Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina, aiming to improve on last year’s first-round exit.