Alex Eala leads WTA in matches played this season

MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala’s rise has been built on consistency and hard work, with the Filipino tennis star playing as many WTA tour stops as she can.

According to Tennis 365, Eala has played the most WTA tour-level matches this year, with 56 across 21 tournaments in just eight months.

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She leads World No. 3 Jessica Pegula and Elina Svitolina, who have played 51 matches each, followed by Mirra Andreeva with 50 and Elena Rybakina with 48.

Eala has taken her game to another level since her breakthrough last year, reaching the Wimbledon round of 16 for the best Grand Slam singles finish by a Filipino.

The 21-year-old followed that up with her first WTA Tour title at the Mubadala DC Open, where she outlasted Pegula in the final.

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Eala also won her second WTA 125 title of the year at the Birmingham Open during an impressive grass-court season that included a semifinal appearance at the Berlin Open.

But the busy schedule eventually took its toll. Eala admitted she was “tired as one can be at this stage” during the Canadian Open in Toronto, where she also injured her right ankle before being swept by Belinda Bencic in the round of 16.

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The World No. 20 now opens a new campaign at the Cincinnati Open against Elena Gabriela-Ruse in the second round.

After Cincinnati, Eala is preparing for the US Open later this month and is already listed to compete in the Singapore Open in September.

The Southeast Asian Games gold medalist also said that she’s keen on representing the country anew in the Asian Games.