Eala climbs 53 notches

MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala is simply trusting the process in her relentless Women’s Tennis Association rise after jumping 53 notches in the updated WTA rankings this week.

“Step by step,” said the Filipina ace, who climbed to No. 662 from No. 715 last week.

Overall, the 15-year-old who’s in her second year as a pro has leapt 528 rungs en route to a Top 700 spot after starting the year way below at No. 1190.

Eala’s latest improvement came days after a strong showing in her first W60 tournament in Bellinzona, Switzerland.

She snatched big wins against top-300 players Margot Yerolymos (WTA No. 323) of France and Laura-Ioana Paar (No. 206) of Romania before losing in the third round against hometown bet Simona Waltert (No. 284).

The left-handed wunderkind last month also participated in the prestigious Miami Open that featured world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty of Australia and No. 2 Naomi Osaka of Japan.

Eala, also the ITF Juniors No. 3, has participated in eight pro events this year marked by her first title in W15 Manacor in Spain last January.