Tennis-Eala dismantles Pegula to win first WTA title in weather-hit Washington final

Alexandra Eala made history by becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour-level singles title, defeating top seed Jessica Pegula in the Washington Open final.

Alexandra Eala dismantled top seed ​Jessica Pegula 4-6 6-4 ​6-0 after the ‌weather-hit Washington ​Open final resumed on Monday, completing a remarkable comeback to become the first ‌player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour-level singles title. The 21-year-old resumed play on Monday trailing by a set but leading ‌2-1 in the second after Sunday's final started nearly ‌three hours late and was later suspended overnight because of persistent rain.

Pegula, chasing a third Washington title after lifting the trophy in 2019 and ⁠2021, ​was unable to ⁠stop the momentum swinging decisively in Eala's favour. The Filipina won 10 of ⁠the 13 games played after the restart, securing the second set ​before racing through the decider behind a dominant left-handed serve ⁠and fearless baseline hitting that drew increasingly vocal support from a partisan ⁠crowd ​despite Pegula playing on home soil.

The victory extended Eala's winning streak against top-10 opponents to five matches following victories ⁠over Elena Rybakina, Elina Svitolina, twice, and Iga Swiatek. The breakthrough title ⁠will propel ⁠Eala to a career-high world number 20 when the new WTA rankings are released.