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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Historic Washington triumph sends Eala to career-high No. 20

Historic Washington triumph sends Eala to career-high No. 20

Published Aug 4, 2026 07:21 am

At A Glance

  • The feat marked the biggest title of her career and the first WTA Tour singles crown by a Filipina, following the same path Pegula took when the American claimed her breakthrough crown in Washington in 2019.
Alex Eala poses with her first WTA Tour title. (Mubadala DC Open)
Alex Eala poses with her first WTA Tour title. (Mubadala DC Open)
Alex Eala continued her meteoric rise on the WTA Tour, soaring to a career-high world No. 20 in the latest rankings after her historic title run at the WTA 500 Mubadala DC Open in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Aug. 4 (Philippine time).
The 21-year-old Filipina climbed eight spots following her breakthrough championship where she stunned world No. 3 and 2019 champion Jessica Pegula, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, in the finals match that was played in two days due to intermittent rain.
The feat marked the biggest title of her career and the first WTA Tour singles crown by a Filipina, following the same path Pegula took when the American claimed her breakthrough crown in Washington in 2019.
“At the beginning of the week, there’s no way I would have thought that I would be holding this trophy,” Eala said. “Winning a 500 (level tournament) is insane. It’s an incredible milestone for me.”
Eala arrived at the Stadium Court as the crowd favorite, despite playing against Pegula, the top-seeded American playing on home soil. A sea of Philippine flags were visible on the stands during Sunday’s rain-interrupted final and were just as visible when play resumed Monday.
“It's not fun to play against, but I do appreciate the really fun atmosphere,” Pegula said of the crowd. “I think it's amazing.”
Eala is expected to carry that momentum at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada this week, where she secured an opening-round bye and is seeded 25th.
Unlike the Washington event, however, the National Bank Open boasts a deeper and more formidable field, featuring nine of the world's Top 10 players, including Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, and reigning Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.

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Alex Eala Jessica Pegula Mubadala DC Open WTA
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