A 30-year-old tennis star has cracked into the top 10 of the WTA Tour for the first time in her career, nearly a decade after making her debut.
The upper echelons of the WTA Tour have been jostling to try and gain entry in the Tour Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
While the likes of Jasmine Paolini and Elena Rybakina look to gain the last place in the WTA Tour Finals, another star has nestled herself in the top 10 for the first time.
Over nine years since making her debut, the star’s recent form on the Asian leg has earned her top 10 status.
Ekaterina Alexandrova makes top 10 debut despite Wuhan Open loss
Ekaterina Alexandrova has been enjoying her best-ever season in 2025 at the age of 30 and it’s become even better despite her third round exit to Jessica Pegula.
The star entered the competition as World No. 11, but several defeats to players ranked around her have helped her gain a place in the rankings.
Losses for Belinda Bencic, Linda Nosková, and Clara Tauson mean that Alexandrova will be in the top 10 when the rankings update on October 13.
The star has enjoyed a successful stint in Asia, including a final appearance at the Korea Open in September.
The Russian defeated Lois Boisson and Kateřina Siniaková before falling to World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the final.
Can Ekaterina Alexandrova make the WTA Tour Finals?
The final WTA 1000 event of the year might be over for Alexandrova, but she can still try and make up ground on the top eight in the remaining competitions of the year.
There are several tournaments across Japan and China before the WTA Tour Finals in Saudi Arabia at the beginning of November.
While Paolini and Rybakina look the favourites to earn that last place, there’s every chance a consistent run could earn Alexandrova a place in the top eight.
However, Alexandrova is 1000 points behind those two stars, and both of them remain in the Wuhan Open, so it could prove tricky.
