Alexandra Eala and Iva Jovic were among the young stars to watch at the Australian Open, which has now reached its conclusion.
Eala received huge support at the Australian Open, although the 20-year-old failed to win her opening match in Melbourne.
She suffered that fate in Australian Open doubles too, but 18-year-old American Jovic enjoyed a dream run at the hard-court tournament.
Jovic also played doubles, losing in the second round, but she stormed all the way to the singles quarterfinals before she was knocked out by WTA number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Eala quickly moved on to the Philippine Women’s Open, making a run to the quarterfinals before losing to Camila Osorio, who went on to lift the trophy.
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Alexandra Eala and Iva Jovic earn career-high rankings after Australian Open
Following the conclusion of the Australian Open, both Eala and Jovic have now achieved significant career milestones.
The exciting duo have just earned new career-highs in the WTA rankings, and they aren’t alone in that regard.
Jovic has just climbed to 20th place in the new WTA rankings after the first major of 2026, while Eala has risen to world number 45.
| New rank | Change | Player | Age |
| 20 | +7 | Iva Jovic | 18 |
| 45 | +4 | Alexandra Eala | 20 |
Although well ahead in world number 13 is Victoria Mboko, with the 19-year-old having reached round four in Melbourne before also falling to Sabalenka.
The Canadian, who clinched the WTA 1000 title in Montreal last season, was Jovic’s doubles partner at the Australian Open.
Joining the high-profile WTA stars in rising the ranks are Australian Maya Joint and Indonesian Janice Tjen, who are in career-high spots of 28th and 47th respectively.
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Alex Eala reflects on the huge support she received at the Australian Open
Despite not winning a WTA title, Philippines star Eala is arguably the most high-profile of the WTA youngsters right now.
Eala is even more popular than Carlos Alcaraz, with fans having turned up in huge numbers to see the 20-year-old in Melbourne.
Sharing her thoughts on such support, she told The National: “There was a lot of commotion in Australia about the attendance in my match.
“It was very unexpected for me, I’d never seen a line so long for my match, although I had played in a bigger court, so I don’t know how that compares.
“But either way it was such a great experience and it just goes to show how much tennis is growing in my country. I think that’s a reflection of it and I’m so proud of that.”
The rising star certainly can be proud of her efforts in her very brief career so far, both on and off the court.
And while it won’t be easy to deal with the pressure of such a huge following, Eala will be wise to simply take each tournament as it comes.
Her current focus is on the Abu Dhabi Open, for which she has received a wildcard, which is a smart decision from organisers given her status in world tennis right now.
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