ALEX Eala is expected to receive a prize money worth $7,750 (P450,678) after she bowed out of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Canberra Internationals semifinals on Friday in Australia.
Eala lost to China’s Wei Sijia, 5-7, 2-6, in their showdown for a finals berth.
Wei advanced to the championship round and will fight for the top purse of $22,190 against seventh seed Aoi Ito, who disposed of Spanish pro Nuria Diaz, 6-2, 6-2.
Eala faltered after going up 5-4 in the first set as Wei powered her way to win the next three games.
Wei took the first five games as she sustained the momentum she earned in the next set.
The 19-year-old Eala is expected to move to a career-high WTA ranking of 138 next week with her performance.
So far, she finished 2024, having earned a total of $297,054, roughly P17,274,135, placing her at no. 156 in the WTA’s list of prize money leaders.
This was after Eala collected $281,994 during her yearlong singles’ campaign in 32 pro tournaments.
After joining a doubles’ events last season, Eala amassed around $15,109.
Aryna Sabalenka tops the list with her 2024 earnings of $9.729 million, followed by Coco Gauff at $9.353 million and Iga Swiatek in third ($9.550 million).
