MANILA, Philippines — Filipino tennis hotshot Alex Eala rose from 75th to 66th in the latest WTA live rankings on Tuesday following her historic first round win at the US Open in New York.Eala outlasted world no. 14 Clara Tauson of Denmark, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(13-11), in the opener on Monday to become the first Philippine player to win a major main draw singles match in the Open era.Officially at 75th, Eala, 20, could further elevate her ranking if she proceeds to defeat Spanish Cristina Bucsa, 27, in the second round on Wednesday.Eala and Bucsa's round of 64 encounter will be their second clash, with the Filipino winning the first one at the 2021 W25 Grenoble in France, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(8), in the last 16 of the tourney.They both reached a career-best rank of 56th.Get the latest newsdelivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyBucsa overpowered American Claire Liu, 6-2, 6-1, to begin her campaign on Tuesday.Ranked 95th in the world, Bucsa's win likewise improved her live ranking, jumping 14 places to sit at 81st.AdvertisementMeanwhile, world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus remains at the top of the live rankings, as she kickstarted her US Open title defense with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Swiss Rebeka Masarova on Monday.World no. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland and no. 3 Coco Gauff of the United States swapped places in the live rankings.World no. 5 Mirra Andreeva of Russia elevated to no. 4 and world no. 6 Madison Keys of the United States to no. 5.
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