Eala storms to 1st DC Open title, stuns Pegula in historic comeback

Raphael Lloren

When heavy rain finally cleared in Washington, Alex Eala made sure lightning struck twice.

Pulling off a rousing come-from-behind effort after a weather stoppage, the Filipina tennis star stunned top-seeded American Jessica Pegula, 4–6, 6–4, 6–0, to deliver the country’s first WTA 500 Mubadala D.C. Open crown, August 4.

Alex Eala surged to a career-best world No. 20 in the latest WTA rankings after outlasting Pegula, making her the highest-ranked Filipina in WTA history.

The Filipina lefty, who trailed by a set when heavy rain halted the play, rallied back before stopping the world No. 3 in the pivotal 10th game to take the second canto and force a decider.

And she sure did not let her blaze die out from that moment forward.

Eala continued to rain down heavy baseline hits to take complete control of the third set, ultimately sealing the bagel after a two-handed return error from the hometown bet.

Thunderous cheers from the Filipino-filled seats made it more sweeter for a Filipina capping off her biggest giant-slaying tournament campaign, as of writing, with a historic win.

In addition to her victory, she also avenged her Miami Open loss to Pegula from last year.

“To all my supporters, thank you guys. Thank you to all my supporters, especially the Filipino community here in DC and back home, and wherever you are in the world,” she expressed in a post-game interview.

The Philippines, which has been buckled by high-stakes senate hearings, all shared a moment of celebration for the Filipina who once again brought pride to the country.

Prior to this win, Eala downed reigning Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, defending DC Open champ Leylah Fernandez, and most notably the four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.

With reports from Manila Bulletin