Alex Eala drops to No. 45 in WTA live rankings ahead of clay season

Alex Eala is projected to slip outside Top 40 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings following her fourth-round exit at the Miami Open.

Ranked No. 29 entering the WTA1000 event, Eala has dropped to No. 45 in the live WTA rankings as of Tuesday, March 24 -- a position that could still shift as the tournament unfolds -- after bowing to world No. 14 Karolina Muchova, 0-6, 2-6.

The official WTA weekly rankings, however, are finalized each Monday following the conclusion of all Tour events.

Eala had already taken a hit at the start of the tournament, sliding to No. 50 in the unofficial live rankings as points from her breakthrough run last year expired.

Under the WTA’s 52-week ranking system, players drop the points they earned from the same event the previous year once the tournament gets underway again. In Eala’s case, she shed roughly 380 of the 390 points she gained from last year’s semifinal run.

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