Alexandra “Alex” Eala etched another historic feat by clinching her first WTA Tour-level title.
The Filipina tennis star dismantled American top seed Jessica Pegula in the decider for a resounding 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory in the 2026 Mubadala DC Open final at the FitzGerald Tennis Center in Washington, D.C., United States early Tuesday (Philippine time).
“To all my supporters, thank you guys. Especially the Filipino community, here in DC and back home, wherever you are in the world. I really feel all the love,” Eala said in an interview after bagging the DC Open crown.
“Standing here in the middle of all this love — my first chance at a title, knowing it won’t be my last — already having achieved this feat and this milestone for my career, I knew that whatever would’ve happened after this match, it would’ve already been a win for me,” she added.
Pegula described Eala as an “amazing player.”
“Just to see how far you’ve come over the last couple years when we first played, to see the amazing fans that follow you every place you go…I think it’s amazing,” Pegula said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. lead the nation in congratulating Eala for her historic feat.
“The Philippines now has its first WTA 500 champion. Congratulations on yet another historic achievement. You continue to redefine what is possible for Philippine tennis and inspire countless young Filipinos to dream without limits,” the President said.
Coming off a one-set deficit before the postponement of the match due to inclement weather, Eala showed grit to force a third set then came out with guns ablaze in the winner-take-all frame to reign supreme in the WTA 500 tournament.
Already a two-time WTA Challenger winner, the 21-year-old ace finally seized her breakthrough Tour trophy, becoming the first Pinay netter to achieve such a milestone.
With her biggest title yet in her flourishing professional career, Eala bagged the champion’s purse of $252,000 or more than P15 million.
The gutsy left-hander also snagged 500 ranking points to notch a new career-high No. 20 in the WTA live rankings.
It was a remarkable title run for Eala as she beat the tournament’s top three seeds–Elina Svitolina (No. 2), Naomi Osaka (No. 3), and Pegula (No. 1)–as well as last year’s winner Leylah Fernandez (No. 7) and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
Eala also leveled her head-to-head record with Pegula, avenging her 6(3)-7), 7-5, 3-6 loss in last year’s Miami Open semifinals.
Up 2-1 before play was halted due to heavy rain, Eala went swinging in the second set, matching Pegula shot per shot before capitalizing on the American’s faulty hits to forge a decider.
Riding the crest of momentum, the Wimbledon third-round finisher unloaded a searing winner after another as the 2024 US Open finalist struggled to find her rhythm in the clincher.