After any tournament as big as Indian Wells there are going to be movers and shakers on the rankings, and today is no exception—and one player in particular just keeps making more history.
Alexandra Eala, who became the first player from the Philippines ever to reach the Top 100 on the WTA rankings almost a year ago after her breakthrough run to the semifinals in Miami, has continued her rise ever since, breaking into the Top 50 late last year and the Top 40 earlier this year, and reaching No. 31 a few weeks ago.
And today she breaks more new ground, rising from No. 32 to No. 29—her Top 30 debut—after a run to the fourth round in Indian Wells.
She’s made the quarterfinals or better at WTA events for the first six times in the last year—one final (Eastbourne last year), two semifinals (Miami last year and Auckland this year) and three quarterfinals (Sao Paulo last year and Abu Dhabi and Dubai this year).
She’s also collected her first seven wins over Top 30 players in the last year, which includes her first four Top 10 wins.
And now, the 20-year-old joins the Top 30 herself.
She was ranked No. 140 in the world on this day a year ago.
Elsewhere on the WTA rankings, perhaps the most notable move comes right near the top, as Elena Rybakina rises from No. 3 to a new career-high of No. 2 following her run to the final of Indian Wells. She had already clinched her rise to No. 2 just by reaching the semifinals.
Victoria Mboko keeps climbing the rankings, too—the Canadian teenager moves up one spot from No. 10 to a new high of No. 9 after reaching the quarterfinals of Indian Wells, in her tournament debut.
Spanish women’s No. 1 Cristina Bucsa, who soared to No. 31 two weeks ago after winning the WTA 500 event in Merida, Mexico, also moves up one spot this week to No. 30, for her Top 30 debut.
And the breakthrough story of the tournament, Talia Gibson, makes her Top 100 debut today, soaring from No. 112 to No. 68 after reaching the first WTA 1000 quarterfinal of her career—and the first WTA quarterfinal of her career, period. The Australian had never beaten a Top 50 player going into the event but beat four in a row to reach the final eight, including her first Top 10 win against Jasmine Paolini.
Over on the ATP rankings, there’s a big Top 10 return, as Daniil Medvedev returns to the elite for the first time since the two weeks of Roland Garros last year, rising from No. 11 to No. 10 after reaching the final of Indian Wells. The two weeks of Miami will be the former world No. 1’s 280th and 281st career weeks in the ATP Top 10.
Luciano Darderi rises from No. 21 to No. 18 for his Top 20 debut, making it four Italians in the ATP Top 20 now, alongside No. 2 Jannik Sinner, No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti and No. 14 Flavio Cobolli.
And finally, Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, the only player from Paraguay in the ATP Top 1,000, makes his Top 100 debut, rising from No. 104 to No. 99. The 21-year-old went deep at two Challenger events on clay in South America during the two weeks of Indian Wells, reaching a final in Brasilia, Brazil and another quarterfinal in Santiago, Chile.