One of the breakout stars of the season, Alexandra Eala, made history for the Philippines on Monday as she became the first player from her country to win a WTA Tour singles title.
The 21-year-old 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 seal her first title on the circuit.
A superb run saw her beat Qinwen Zheng, the reigning Olympic champion, last year’s Washington champion Leylah Fernandez, the in-form pair of top-15 players Elina Svitolina and four-time major winner Naomi Osaka, and Pegula, the world No 3.
Eala 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.
But she won 10 of the 13 games played after the restart and the last nine in a row, securing the second set before racing through the decider behind a dominant left-handed serve and fearless baseline hitting.
The world No 28 dropped only eight points in the deciding set and took advantage of increasingly vocal support from a partisan crowd - she is supported around the world by a legion of fans - despite Pegula playing on home soil.
Eala said afterwards: “I feel so much love. My first chance at a title knowing it won't be the last and already having achieved this milestone for my career. I knew whatever happened after this match would have already been a win for me.”
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.
“I want to congratulate Alex on an amazing tournament,” she said. “To see how far you've come over the last couple of years when we first played, to see the amazing fans that follow you every place you go, it's not fun to play against but I think it's amazing.”
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 her to a career-high world number 20 when the new WTA rankings are released.
Additional reporting by Reuters
