FOUR.That is the number of wins Alexandra “Alex” Eala needs to defend her 390 ranking points at the WTA 1000 Miami Open, which runs from March 15 to 29.
The tournament follows the BNP Paribas Open, where Eala reached the round of 16, falling to Linda Noskova last Wednesday, 2-6, 0-6.
Four successive wins will send the 32nd seed Eala to the semifinals, matching her finish last year as a wildcard entrant and retaining her 390 points.
Falling one win short, which means a quarterfinal finish, would hurt Eala’s ranking.
Eala, who receives a first-round bye as a seeded player just like at the Indian Wells, sits in 32nd place with 1,432 points in the WTA official rankings.
In the live rankings, which will be reflected in the official ones on Monday, Eala boasts 1,542 points for a new career-best 28th place.
For context, quarterfinalists in a 1000-tier tourney like the Indian Wells and the Miami Open earn 215 points only.
That would mean a 175-point loss for Eala, as her 390 from last year would drop off and be replaced by this year’s 215.
Ranking points gained last for 52 weeks ( one year) only and will be replaced by the latest ones in the same tournament week or day.
A 175-point ranking deduction would drop Eala from the 28th to 32nd ranking range to 36th to 40th.
Eala’s ranking would plummet further if she fails to reach the quarterfinals.
Eala will only get 120 points for a round of 16 finish (270-point deduction from her 390); 65 points for round of 32 (335-point deduction); 35 points for round of 64 (365-point reduction).
Eala even needs to win that round of 64 match to secure 65 ranking points; a loss will only grant her 10 points, resulting in a 380-point deduction from her total ranking points.
In that case, Eala’s total would drop to 1,162, placing her in the 50th to 52nd range in the rankings. It also means Eala potentially won’t get direct entries to 1000-tier tournaments with smaller draws, requiring her to go through the qualifiers.
Despite the potential setback, the 20-year-old Eala expressed confidence in her ability to work her way up again.
“It doesn’t matter if I win the tournament in Miami or if I lose in the first round, I know I’m here, and I’m here to stay,” Eala said in an article published on the Indian Wells website.
If Eala matches her semifinal finish from last year, she will maintain her current ranking or might even rise if players ranked just above her fail to defend their points in Miami.
It gets more exciting for Filipino fans if Eala reaches the final, which would get her 650 points for a +260, or even wins the title to get 1000 full points for a +610.
If Eala makes the final, her total ranking points will get to 1,802 good for 22nd to 24th in the rankings.
If she wins it all, Eala’s total will reach 2,152 points, enabling her to crack the top 20 and land in the 16th to 18th range.
Eala set her breakout season in motion at the Miami Open last year, becoming the first Filipina to reach a semifinal of a 1000-tier tourney.