Eala climbs to No.13 seed in Wuhan Open

MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala is projected to climb in the seedings of the Wuhan Open next week following the withdrawal of several top players led by World No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.

From No. 18, the 21-year-old Filipina tennis sensation is now expected to enter as the No. 13 seed in the WTA 1000 event in China, pending the official draw and final player movements.

The Wuhan Open, together with the China Open, is the last WTA 1000 tournament of the season before the WTA Finals slated Nov. 8-15 in Indian Wells.

Eala is already out of contention for the Finals, which will feature the Top 8 players after the ranking cutoff on Nov. 1. She skipped the China Open in Beijing to represent the Philippines in the 20th Asian Games in Japan, where she won a bronze medal.

Currently ranked No. 18 in the world with 2,181 points, Eala briefly broke into the Top 10 earlier this season before sliding to No. 15. Her absence in Beijing, where 1,000 ranking points were at stake, cost her a shot at making the Finals cut.

Eala heads to China with renewed motivation after finally meeting her idol, five-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova of Russia.

“I’m so grateful. It’s crazy that I’m at the start of my career and all of these moments are amazing,” said Eala, who appeared as a guest on Sharapova’s “Pretty Tough” podcast Wednesday night, citing her idol’s grit as one of the weapons she is applying in her own rise.

“I’ve been following you for several years now. I’ve watched your journey in the last few years flourish to where you are today. You have a long way to go but it is so impressive to see how you’ve handled and navigated everything,” the 39-year-old Sharapova told Eala.