Alex Eala has officially brought her 2026 season to an end after losing in the final of the Hong Kong Open.
Eala was left emotional after being beaten 6-3, 6-0 by Claire Liu in the final of the WTA 250 tournament. She was eyeing a second career title following her success in Washington earlier this year, but instead Liu claimed her first.
Despite the loss, Eala is set to make her top 15 debut thanks to her impressive run at the Hong Kong Open. And that feat epitomises a sensational first full season for the 21-year-old, who has enjoyed many highs throughout the campaign. Tennishead has now picked out five Eala wins from 2026, ranking them from fifth to first.
The five best wins for Alex Eala in 2026 ranked
5. Jasmine Paolini – Dubai
Eala picked up plenty of impressive top 10 wins in the 2026 season, one of which arrived against Jasmine Paolini in Dubai. The Filipina and the Italian went head-to-head in the round of 32 of the WTA 1000 tournament.
Paolini was ranked eighth in the world at the time, but was beaten 6-1, 7-6 by her inspired opponent. The upset arrived between Eala wins over Hailey Baptiste and Sorana Cirstea, before she lost to Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals.
4. Naomi Osaka – Washington DC
Eala enjoyed another memorable run at the Washington Open, but this time her venture ended with a trophy. Right after a round of 16 run in Wimbledon, where Paolini exacted revenge, the youngster claimed her maiden WTA title.
In one of the most impressive title runs of the entire season, the Filipina ace picked up a huge victory over Naomi Osaka in the semifinals. She beat the former world number one and four-time Grand Slam champion 6-4, 6-2, which followed other noteworthy triumphs over Qiwen Zheng, Leylah Fernandez and Elina Svitolina.
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3. Elena Rybakina – Berlin
Another top 10 victory arrived in Berlin in June, with the WTA superstar shocking future world number one Elena Rybakina. World number two at the time, Rybakina was beaten 7-5, 6-4 in the round of 16.
Eala backed that huge success up with another big upset in Germany, where she edged past Svitolina before finally falling to Linda Noskova in the semifinals.
2. Jessica Pegula – Washington DC
Of course, the Washington DC run was not complete until a truly sensational final victory over the home favourite. The fans were desperate to see American ace Jessica Pegula come out on top, but Eala had other plans against the WTA number three.
She emerged victorious after a thrilling battle with the top seed, coming from behind to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. She also dealt with a serious rain delay, but remained focused to become the first-ever WTA champion from the Philippines.
1. Iga Swiatek – Wimbledon
Eala’s maiden WTA title will live long in her memory, but she will also have extremely fond memories from the All England Club in 2026. Just as she had made history in Washington, Iga Swiatek made history at Wimbledon in 2025 by becoming the first Polish champion.
Looking to defend that title this time around, Swiatek was completely stunned in just the third round by Eala, who won their clash 7-6(11-9), 6-2. She was world number three at the time of the major upset, which undoubtedly gave the Filipina sensation huge confidence for Washington soon after.
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