Photo credit : WTA
Filipino standout completes rain-delayed comeback, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, to capture her first WTA 500 championship
WASHINGTON — Alexandra “Alex” Eala defeated top-seeded Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 on Monday to win the Mubadala DC Open, becoming the first player representing the Philippines to capture a tour-level WTA singles title.
The 21-year-old Eala completed the victory after rain forced the championship match to be played over two days. The final began Sunday following an extended weather delay but was suspended with Pegula leading by one set and Eala ahead 2-1 in the second.
Play resumed at noon Monday with Pegula serving. Eala went on to secure the second set 6-4 before breaking the American three times in a one-sided deciding set.
The match lasted one hour and 45 minutes of playing time. Eala won 80 of the 141 points contested and converted five of nine break-point opportunities. She won 24 of 32 points in the third set, while Pegula was unable to hold serve in any of her three service games.
The championship completed a five-match run through a field that included several of the sport’s most accomplished players.
Eala opened with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over China’s Qinwen Zheng. She then defeated Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 7-6 (1), followed by a 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinal victory over Elina Svitolina.
In the semifinals, Eala beat four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 to advance to her second tour-level final.
Monday’s result also reversed the outcome of Eala’s only previous meeting with Pegula. The American defeated her in three sets in the semifinals of the 2025 Miami Open, where Eala first emerged as a consistent threat against highly ranked opponents.
Pegula, ranked No. 3 in the world and seeded first in Washington, won her first WTA singles championship at the same tournament in 2019. She entered the final seeking her 12th career title and her third championship of the 2026 season.
Eala arrived in Washington ranked a career-high No. 28. Her victory over Pegula was her seventh against a top-10 opponent this season.
The Washington championship was Eala’s first title on the main WTA Tour and her first at the WTA 500 level. She had previously won WTA 125 tournaments in Guadalajara in 2025 and Birmingham in June 2026, competitions that are classified separately from main-tour events.
Eala reached her first tour-level final at Eastbourne in 2025 but lost to Australia’s Maya Joint in a deciding-set tiebreak.
