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Eala ignores rain inconvenience to win first title
Alexandra Eala nabbed the first WTA trophy for the Philippines on Monday, winning a Washington final delayed overnight with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 defeat of Jessica Pegula.
The Asian young gun began fulfilling the hype surrounding a 2026 breakthrough which began last month with a Wimbledon fourth-round showing.
The final in the steamy US capital was halted overnight on a day of rain interruptions with top seed Pegula leading 6-4, 1-2.
Eala, ranked 28th, took little notice as she stormed to victory to start the week, winning the last nine games of the match while losing a mere eight points in the deciding set.
The original Sunday start was delayed for three hours and once the match was interrupted, players waived for five hours before being told of the Monday resumption decision.
Eala, who is set to rise to 20th in the rankings, got past second-seeded Elina Svitolina, tournament four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka and defending champion Leylah Fernandez on her rush to the title.
Main photo:- Alexandra Eala celebrates victory in Washington – © WTATennis.com