Alex Eala wins first WTA title, beating top seed Jess Pegula in DC Open

Alexandra Eala won the Mubadala Citi DC Open, her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 500 title. | Mubadala DC Open and WTA/FB

Alexandra Eala’s dream run in Washington DC led all the way to her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour-level title and her first appearance in the Top 20.

She defeated Jessica Pegula, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, in the DC Open, the same tournament where Pegula won her first WTA tour title in 2019. The American was 25 then.Currently WTA No. 3, Pegula is the seventh Top 10 player Eala has defeated this year and the ninth so far in her career.

Alex Eala’s next match: Toronto on August 5

Eala’s next match will be on Wednesday, August 5, in the round of 64 of the National Bank Open in Toronto. Like Pegula, she received a bye in the first round. She will face the winner between Alycia Parks and Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva.

She complimented Pegula in her speech during the trophy ceremony, saying she “learned so much from your forehand lines and your backhand crosses.”

Eala then thanked her family, her team, and her coach Joan Bosch, who was in the stands. “To all my supporters, the Filipino community in DC, the fans at home, and wherever you may be in the world, thank you. I feel the love…I really look forward to seeing you guys again.”

Rain delayed Eala vs. Pegula by a day

Rain delayed the start of the DC Open women’s finals by nearly three hours. Fans who had turned up for 12 p.m. match on Sunday needed to come back on a working Monday, a deal the organizers sweetened by letting the first 1,000 attendees in for free.

Pegula was leading by a set and about to begin her second service game when rain forced organizers to suspend the match one hour after it had started.

Eala had served first and was up, 2-1, when the match was suspended.

It was Pegula who earned the first break of serve in the match, off Eala’s third service game in the first set.

Eala broke back, then held serve, briefly taking the lead. She had two more break point opportunities on the next service game, but Pegula saved both.

When the match resumed some 20 hours later, Pegula needed less than a minute to hold serve. Eala then held serve to love, pushing the score to 3-2.

This time around, the players needed umbrellas for the noonday heat, instead of rain.

And this time around, a more aggressive, more confident Eala showed up. She earned the first break of serve on Pegula’s fifth service game, taking the second set, 6-4.

At that point, both players had dropped only two sets each in the tournament.

Eala broke Pegula’s first service game in the deciding set, rushing to the net to send a forehand winner into a corner, away from Pegula’s reach.

The Filipina took a 3-0 lead, then earned a double break of serve as Pegula kept committing unforced errors.

And then Eala had a 5-0 lead, which meant that Pegula had to serve to stay in the match. Eala was unstoppable, though.

Pegula, 32, is currently WTA No. 3 and the top-ranked American player. She is chasing her first Grand Slam win.

When they last met in the Miami Open semifinals in March 2025, Pegula needed three sets to defeat Eala, 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3. Now they have one win each in head-to-head matches.

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.