During the final of the 2025 WTA Eastbourne Open, Alex Eala endured the biggest heartbreak of her young career after squandering four championship points in a third-set tiebreak.
A little over a year later, not even a one-day rain delay or the challenge of facing World No. 3 Jessica Pegula could deny Eala her long-awaited breakthrough.
The 21-year-old Filipino rallied from a set down and unleashed every weapon in her arsenal to defeat top seed Pegula of the United States, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, and capture the WTA 500 Mubadala Citi DC Open title.
With the victory, Eala claimed the first WTA title of her career and made history as the first Southeast Asian to win a WTA 500 tournament.
Indonesian great Yayuk Basuki (six WTA titles) and Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn (four titles) won tournaments equivalent to today’s WTA 250 level, while Indonesia’s Janice Tjen captured the WTA 250 Chennai Open crown last year.
(C) DC Open
Playing before a packed crowd at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Washington, D.C., Eala matched Pegula shot for shot in a championship-worthy battle.
The Filipina attacked the American’s groundstrokes with precision, forcing Pegula to scramble across the baseline.
Pegula, however, relied on her trademark consistency, using deep, flat strokes to gradually push Eala behind the baseline.
Pegula struck first by breaking serve in the fifth game for a 3-2 lead, but Eala responded immediately with a break of her own to level the set.
Leading 4-3, Eala had two break-point opportunities to seize control, but Pegula held firm before reeling off the final three games to take the opening set.
Eala led 2-1 in the second set before rain forced the suspension of play.
When the match resumed the following day, the Filipina returned with renewed determination.
The pair remained on serve until 4-4, but Eala increasingly dictated the rallies, piling up winners and winning the longer exchanges.
She finally broke Pegula in the 10th game to force a deciding set.
The anticipated tense finish never materialized.
Instead, Eala completely dismantled the American in the third set.
Playing with relentless aggression and unwavering confidence, she overwhelmed a shell-shocked Pegula, winning six straight games to secure the biggest victory of her career and officially crown herself a WTA Tour champion.
Pegula entered the final as one of the hottest players on tour, having already captured the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships in February and the WTA 500 Charleston Open in April. But she had no answer for Eala’s dominant finish.
Eala sealed the championship on her first championship point, completing a stunning comeback and earning the biggest payday of her career.
The victory further strengthened Eala’s remarkable record against the world’s elite.
She now owns nine wins in 13 career matches against Top 10 opponents, the highest winning percentage among active players against the WTA Top 10.
She also avenged her semifinal defeat to Pegula at the 2025 Miami Open.
The title capped a spectacular week for Eala.
She opened her campaign by rallying past 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen of China, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Eala then defeated Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, 6-2, 7(7)-6(1), in the second round before stunning second seed Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 6-4, in the quarterfinals.
She carried that momentum into the semifinals, overpowering third seed Naomi Osaka, 6-4, 6-2, to book her place in the championship match, where she completed her historic run with the biggest victory of her career.
There will be little time for celebration, however, as Eala immediately shifts her focus to the WTA 1000 Canadian Open in Toronto. Awarded a first-round bye, she is set to begin her campaign in the second round on Wednesday.
