Alex Eala Reaches Career-High WTA Ranking of No. 18 After Pan Pacific Open Quarter-Final

Alex Eala of the Philippines advanced to the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Wednesday after a commanding three-set comeback against world No. 38 Talia Gibson of Australia. Eala dropped the opening set 4-6, conceding serve twice, but she did not face another break for the rest of the match. She broke the 22-year-old Gibson twice in the second set and three times in the third, closing out a 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 win. The result lifted Eala to 2,289 ranking points, returning her to her career-high position of world No. 18 — one spot above where she began the week. She had entered the tournament ranked No. 19, just one place below that career-best mark of 18th. In the quarter-finals, Eala will face world No. 13 Diana Shnaider, a rematch of their second-round meeting at the Ningbo Open last week, which Shnaider won 7-5, 6-4. Eala reached this stage after also defeating 17-year-old British wildcard Mika Stojsavljevic 6-1, 6-2 in the first round on Monday. After that opener, Eala said: "I think it was super important today to be focused on every single point. Playing against Mika for the first time was a great experience and I am sure we will meet many, many more times."