Eala Brings Her DC Open Momentum North Of The Border To Toronto

Alexandra Eala
Alexandra Eala (photo: Wick Photography/Mubadala DC Open)

WASHINGTON, August 5, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)

A rain-delayed, two-day final probably wasn’t how Alexandra Eala envisioned winning her first WTA Tour title at the Mubadala DC Open Monday afternoon, in front of a thousand or so of her most passionate, flag-waving Filipino fans that filled the lower bowl of Stadium Court at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center in northwest Washington, D.C. It’s probably not the way a scriptwriter would have structured the narrative if it were being turned into a film, either.

However, after Eala dispatched World No. 3 and top-seeded Jessica Pegula of the United States, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in an hour and 50 minutes, she became the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour title. It proved a joyful and emotional experience for the 21-year-old Eala – and it produced a memory that she and her fans will forever remember.

“Oh, my gosh, I’m over the moon, super happy, taking it all in right now. Yeah, just pure happiness,” Eala told reporters during her champion’s news conference, a few hours after she had secured the title final over Pegula, after coming back from a set down.

“I think I warmed up, like, a thousand times, a lot of unpredictable swings with the weather,” said Eala, who maintained her focus and managed her energy level superbly during the two-day final against Pegula, who won the 2019 DC Open. She remained level-headed and determined to succeed.

After a three-hour delay pushed out the start from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon, intermittent rain coupled with thunder and lightning kept the finalists grounded and play was cancelled for good at 9:07 p.m. Pegula won the first set 6-4 and Eala led 2-1 on serve when play resumed under hot, muggy conditions Monday afternoon. Soon, Eala went to work and leveled matters by winning the second set 6-4. Then, she dominated the remainder of the match and won the final set in bagel fashion to claim her first tour-level title.

“But I think I was able, you know, to take my time and, you know, kind of take those learnings from the first half of the match and do my best to apply them in the second, and I think it worked pretty well,” Eala said.

Barely 24 hours after she had made history by becoming the first Filipino to win a WTA Tour title after garnering the DC Open crown, Eala touched down in Toronto, where she is competing in the National Bank Open presented by Rogers. At the WTA 1000 event, the 25th-seeded Eala is the main attraction on Centre Court Wednesday evening. She will face 71st-ranked Alycia Parks of the United States, who defeated Eala last January in the first round of the Australian Open in three sets.

“It’s been an amazing 24 hours for me,” Eala said Tuesday during her pre-tournament news conference. “Of course, so many emotions, so many things to process, and processing also the transition from one tournament to another. So, I’m very excited to reset and be here in Toronto for the first time.”

The Quezon City (near Manila) native was reminded by a reporter that it seems as if every time she steps onto a tennis court, no matter where in the world, she is making history for her country, the Philippines, an Asian Pacific nation that is made up of more than 7,600 islands and located in the western Pacific Ocean.

“I think, well, I mean, tennis is such a humbling sport, and at the end of the day it’s my job,” Eala said, smiling. “So, you know, learning to handle all of this, you know, kind of extra things that come with my job has definitely been a process.

“I enjoy it. I enjoy a lot being in these sorts of environments, but there’s so many things that I want to work on. There are so many things that I focus on in terms of my progress as a player, so still a really long way for me to go I think, yeah.”

Eala draws crowds massive crowds wherever she plays. So, it should come as no surprise that her opening match at 12,500-seat Sobeys Stadium in Toronto sold out in less than an hour after it was announced she would play Wednesday evening. Eala’s fame began to surge earlier this summer at the Wimbledon Championships, when she defeated defending champion Iga Swiatek in the third round playing on Centre Court, and it’s taken off ever since.

Against Pegula, fans cheered for and shouted Eala’s name, it seemed, nonstop throughout the duration of the title final. During her trophy speech, Eala thanked her many supporters, especially those from the Filipino community.

“Before the final … I got so many sweet messages from my family and my friends who are wherever else in the world, and I thought to myself, ‘I feel so much love,'” Eala said after being presented the champion’s trophy. “Standing here, feeling all this love … I know whatever would have happened with this final, it already would have been a win for me.”

Looking back on Eala’s week that culminated in her winning her first WTA Tour title, in which she began with a victory over 2024 Paris Olympic Games gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, continued with a win over defending champion Leylah Fernandez, then defeated the top three seeded players in the DC Open – No. 2 Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, No. 3 Naomi Osaka in the semifinals and No. 1 Pegula in the final – the 5-foot-9-inch Filipina lefty agreed that there were many positive takeaways from her five consecutive victories. 

“Every match was a different set of obstacles. … I think I ended the tournament in better shape than I started,” admitted Eala, whose WTA Ranking shot up eight spots from No. 28 to World No. 20 after winning the DC Open title.  “I think each match I kept improving and kept learning things about myself.

“So definitely gives me a lot of confidence, and it’s just really nice to see all the things that I have been working on off court or during training being implemented in matches.”

Pegula gave Eala a huge shoutout during her post-match news conference. “I just think it’s so refreshing and nice to see how well she’s handled all of the kind of fandom and stardom that’s come with her being from the Philippines and how they’ve really embraced her. It’s crazy how she deals with it every single week, which just shows her maturity as a player and as a person,” she said.

“I have a lot of respect for her, and I like her a lot. I think she’s a really nice girl. Yeah, it’s cool to see what she’s brought to the women’s game, and yeah, she’s great.”

When Eala was asked during her champion’s news conference how she processes her history-making performances with what it means to so many different people, she responded:

“First and foremost, it’s an achievement for myself. It’s a personal achievement. I have worked really hard.

“Oh, my gosh, winning a 500, it’s insane. It’s an incredible milestone for me. You know, at the beginning of the week, there is no way I would have thought that I would be holding this trophy. You know, even at the beginning of the year, like it’s just, you know, these things kind of creep up on you, and yeah, I hold these moments really close to me.”

During her pre-tournament news conference Tuesday, Eala said winning the DC Open and triumphing over such quality opponents is “a marker to see my progress.

“I think I’ve improved as a player if you compare now to the beginning of the year.

“I never really placed kind of hard, set goals at the beginning of the year, like, ‘Oh, I need to end the year at a set ranking, or, I need to win a tournament, or so and so.’ I don’t really like to put kind of a cap on what I’m able to do, but at the same time, I don’t really like to kind of just put myself in a bubble either and obsess too much over that.

“I think my primary goal is to play good matches, and at a good level. I think the more I’m able to do that consistently, the more rewarding it is for me. And I guess this week and the past summer has been really good in terms of that.”

Eala indicated she looked forward to playing in Toronto for the first time. In addition to singles, she will also team with future Hall of Famer Venus Williams in doubles. The Filipina/American pair will play Miyu Kato of Japan and Liudmila Samsonova of Russia in the first round Thursday evening.

“I’ve been told that it’s going to be a full house [Wednesday], so I’m really very excited to see and experience the atmosphere,” she said. Eala and Williams, who received a wild card, have been given a Centre Court slot for their first-round doubles match. There’s that much interest in seeing Eala play tennis.

“It’s nice to see, you know, that the Filipino community is really showing up and they’re enjoying tennis, and hopefully, it will help grow the sport as well,” Eala added.

“You know, in the end, I hope to give them something, a new experience and a joyful experience.”

By the numbers

Alexandra Eala, who has compiled a 28-17 win-loss record in singles at tour-level this season, broke into the World’s Top 20 this week following her title at the DC Open. This time last year, Eala was ranked No. 65.

“Quotable …”

“It’s definitely an honor me to represent my country, and I’m super grateful for all of the love and recognition that I’m getting.”

– World No. 20 Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, during her pre-tournament news conference for the WTA 1000 National Bank Open presented by Rogers on Tuesday.

 

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