Sports · Tennis · 3 hrs ago
Alex Eala Would Have Qualified for the Discontinued WTA Elite Trophy
Alex Eala is 19th in the WTA race this year, after the best season of her career.
She won her first WTA title in Washington, reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and entered the top 20 for the first time.
That ranking would have earned her a place at the WTA Elite Trophy, a tournament for players ranked ninth to 19th, plus one wildcard.
The event was held in Zhuhai, China, and featured group play followed by semi-finals.
The tournament ended after its 2023 edition, when Beatriz Haddad Maia won the title.
There are no apparent talks about bringing it back, so Eala will not have that event on her schedule.
Alex Eala would have qualified for the WTA Elite Trophy if the tournament were still held in 2026, according to her position in the year’s race.
She is currently 19th, the last position that would have qualified under the event’s former format.
The tournament included players ranked ninth to 19th in the year’s race, plus one wildcard.
Eala has won her first WTA title, reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and broken into the top 20 in 2026.
The WTA Elite Trophy was removed from the schedule after its 2023 edition.
- Who
- Alex Eala, who is currently 19th in the year’s race.
- What
- She would have qualified for the WTA Elite Trophy if it were held this year.
- When
- 2026.
- Where
- Zhuhai, China, where the tournament was held during its six years of existence.
- Why
- Her 19th place in the race would have put her in the tournament’s qualifying range.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Venus Williams won the first WTA Elite Trophy.
The tournament returned after four years without an event, and Beatriz Haddad Maia won the title.
The WTA Elite Trophy was removed from the schedule.
Eala was 19th in the race, which would have qualified her for the tournament if it were active.
- Eala’s race position
- 19th
- Former qualifying range
- Ninth to 19th in the year’s race, plus one wildcard
- Tournament location
- Zhuhai, China
- Last edition
- 2023
- 2026 WTA title
- Washington, D.C.