Alex Eala books DC Open final by beating Naomi Osaka

Alexandra “Alex” Eala won the all-Asian semifinal at the Mubadala DC Open, beating former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.

She will face the tournament’s top seed, Jessica Pegula, on Sunday, August 2. The earliest possible start for the women’s finals will be at 2:30 p.m. Washington time or 2:30 a.m. Monday, August 3, in the Philippines.

By booking her place in the Washington DC finals, Eala is on track to reach the WTA No. 24 ranking on Monday and could break into the Top 20 if she wins.

READ ALSO: Alex Eala Tracker 2026: Matches, News, Rankings

Alex Eala’s stellar season

Eala was No. 75 when she first played in the U.S. Open main draw last year. The 21-year-old Filipina is set to make her second appearance this year in the Grand Slam tournament that will open on August 23.

Osaka, 28, is a four-time Grand Slam winner who has won the U.S. Open twice, in 2018 and 2020. She is currently No. 13 in the WTA rankings.

READ ALSO: Alex Eala defeats Svitolina, books DC Open semifinal match against Osaka

Playing for a finals place in DC, Osaka double-faulted five times, four more than Eala, in a match that lasted one hour and 16 minutes.

Eala created 12 break point opportunities and converted four. Osaka broke her serve only once, out of four opportunities.

Commentators are calling it ‘the DC dream’

The Filipina has dropped only one set so far in Washington DC, the first set she played in the opening round against Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng.

After that, she won straight-sets victories over defending champion Leylah Fernandez, Elina Fernandez, and now, Osaka.

Pegula has also dropped only one set on her way to the finals, the opener she played in the round of 16 against Magdalena Frech.

Rematch after Miami Open in 2025

Her wins over Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals and Diana Shnaider in the semifinals were both straight-sets victories.

The top-ranked American player is currently No. 3 in the WTA rankings. She won the DC Open in 2019.

The last time Eala and Pegula met across the net was in the Miami Open semifinals in 2025. Pegula won that in three sets, 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3.

The DC Open final will be Eala’s first at the WTA 500 level. She reached the Eastbourne Open final in 2025, a WTA 250 event, and has won two WTA 125 titles: Guadalajara last year and Birmingham in June 2026.

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