Alex Eala Climbs WTA Rankings After Italian Open Exit as Alcaraz, Djokovic and Draper Face Uncertain French Open Build-Up

Alex Eala’s defeat to world No. 2 Elena Rybakina at the Italian Open did not come without reward. The 20-year-old Filipino lost 6-4, 6-3 to the Kazakh powerhouse in Rome, but her performance on the red clay and overall run at the WTA 1000 event was enough to nudge her ranking upward on the WTA standings.

Eala is now approaching the top 32 of the WTA Rankings, a threshold that carries seeding implications at Grand Slams. Although she will enter Roland Garros without a seeding, the trajectory of her ranking suggests she could be in contention for seeded status at Wimbledon next month — a significant milestone for a player still establishing herself at the highest level of the sport.

While Eala moves in the right direction, several of the sport’s bigger names are heading the other way. Jasmine Paolini, who won the Italian Open title in 2024, exited her title defence early after a loss to Elise Mertens on Saturday, leaving her at risk of dropping out of the top 10. Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper, and Emma Raducanu are also facing potential rankings slides following recent health issues and early tournament exits.

Perhaps the most closely watched situation heading into the French Open is that of Novak Djokovic. The 24-time Grand Slam champion suffered an early exit in Rome and has since confirmed he will not compete in any further events before Roland Garros begins. That leaves the Serbian with just one clay court match to his name during this spring swing — an unusually thin preparation for a player of his standing.

Djokovic’s fitness remains a concern, and whether he can mount a genuine challenge at Roland Garros — a tournament he has won three times — with so little match practice on the surface is an open question. His decision to skip any additional tune-up events means he will arrive in Paris relying on experience and instinct rather than rhythm and form.

For Draper, the situation is starker. The British No. 1 was ranked as high as world No. 4 twelve months ago following a strong run that included victory at the Indian Wells Masters and a final appearance at the Madrid Open. However, injury has kept him largely sidelined over the past year, and he is now facing the prospect of dropping out of the world’s top 100 entirely.

Argentine tennis legends Juan Martín del Potro and Gabriela Sabatini — both of whom endured significant injury setbacks during their own careers — have offered their assessments of what lies ahead for the 23-year-old Englishman. Del Potro, in particular, is well placed to comment, having spent extended periods on the sidelines before returning to the upper echelons of the men’s tour. Their remarks were published by Tennis365 as part of a broader examination of Draper’s recovery outlook.

The convergence of these storylines paints a complex picture for tennis as the clay court season reaches its climax. With Roland Garros approaching rapidly, the fitness and form of several major players remain unresolved, while emerging talents such as Eala continue to make steady progress up the rankings.