Eala is World No. 19 ahead of Wuhan Open

MANILA, Philippines — For the first time in two months, Alex Eala slid in the world rankings ahead of her much-anticipated WTA Tour return.

From a career-best ranking of No. 18 since August, Eala dropped one spot down with 2,241 points in the latest WTA rankings yesterday after an early exit in the Singapore Open and an absence in the just-concluded China Open.

Eala, who took a Round of 16 exit in the 500-level Singapore joust as the No. 3 seed, skipped the 1000-level Beijing tilt to prioritize playing for the Philippines in the 20th Asian Games, where she settled for bronze.

Lost in that gamble was lucrative ranking points but the 21-year-old Filipina pride could have retained her spot at No. 18 if not for the Belgian ace Elise Mertens’ breakthrough in the China Open.

Mertens made it to the Final Four in Beijing (with now 2,540 points) and thus jumped from No. 19 to No. 14.

Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina and Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka stay at 1-2 as China Open runner-up Mirra Andreeva of Russia becomes the new world No. 3 from No. 5, surpassing Jessica Pegula (No. 4) and Coco Gauff (No. 5) of the United States.

Home bet Zheng Qinwen is the biggest riser in the circuit, jumping from No. 54 to No. 23 after ruling the China Open over Andreeva. Qinwen, who beat Eala in the Hangzhou semis, is the reigning champion in the Asiad but opted to play in Beijing.

Eala last August, after a solid North American swing marked by her first WTA Tour title in Washington, made history as the highest-ranked Filipino and Southeast Asian at No. 18 in the women’s pro circuit.

She erased the records of Indonesian Yayuk Basuki and Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn, who both peaked at No. 19 in 1997 and 2002, respectively.