Filipino tennis star Alex Eala rose to No. 28 in the WTA rankings Thursday after falling in the Round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Open.
The 20-year-old Eala, seeded 31st, earned $105,720 (around P6.3 million) for her performance in the California desert tournament.
In an Instagram post, Eala shared her excitement: “Finally found my paradise. Thank you, Indian Wells, see you next year!”
Czech player Linda Noskova, the 14th seed, dominated Eala in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0, on Stadium 1. Noskova broke Eala’s serve in the opening game and never looked back, winning eight of the final nine games to close out the match in 55 minutes.
“I felt well-prepared from start to finish,” Noskova told WTA after the match. “I focused on using my serve, putting pressure on her, and controlling the rallies.”
Noskova hit seven aces, saved her only break point, and converted five of eight break-point chances against Eala. She reached her first tour-level quarterfinal of the season and will face Australian qualifier Talia Gibson, with both players having registered over 100 winners this week.
At 21, Noskova became the second-youngest Czech player to reach three WTA 1000 quarterfinals since 2009, trailing only Marketa Vondrousova. She joins fellow Czech stars Karolina Muchova and Katerina Siniakova as the only Czech women to reach the Round of 16 at Indian Wells this year.
“I really enjoyed playing here,” Noskova added. “Stepping on this court with fans cheering—it was a great feeling.”
For Eala, the Indian Wells run signals steady progress on the world stage, as she continues to climb the rankings and gain valuable experience against top-level competition.