Alexandra Eala wins first WTA title in Washington as Taylor Fritz takes men’s crown
Alexandra Eala beat Jessica Pegula in a rain-delayed Washington final to become the first Philippine WTA Tour singles champion.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
Alexandra Eala’s first WTA title came with a landmark for the Philippines: she defeated top seed Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the rain-delayed Mubadala DC Open final in Washington on Monday. The WTA said the victory made Eala the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour-level singles title.
In the men’s final, Taylor Fritz beat Spain’s Rafael Jodar 7-6(2), 6-4 to claim his first title of 2026 and the 11th ATP title of his career, according to Al Jazeera.
How did Alexandra Eala win her first WTA title?
The women’s final began on Sunday but rain interrupted it and forced an overnight suspension. Pegula had won the opening set, while Eala led 2-1 in the second when play stopped, according to the WTA.
When the match resumed Monday, Eala took control. The WTA said she won the last nine games, including a 6-0 deciding set in which she gave up only eight points. Reuters reported that Eala won 10 of the 13 games played after the restart.
Eala said after the match that the rain delay had made for an unusual day, but that she used lessons from the first portion of the final when play returned, according to the WTA. Pegula, ranked world No. 3 in the Reuters report, congratulated Eala during the trophy presentation and pointed to the support Eala had drawn during the tournament.
A demanding route to the Washington final
Eala’s title run included wins over several prominent opponents. The WTA said she defeated No. 2 seed Elina Svitolina, No. 3 seed Naomi Osaka, No. 7 seed and defending champion Leylah Fernandez, and Zheng Qinwen before facing Pegula in the final.
The WTA also said Eala was projected to enter its Top 20 rankings for the first time following the result. Reuters reported that she was set to rise to a career-high No. 20 when the new rankings were released.
Fritz adds a Washington trophy
Fritz’s victory over Jodar completed the two singles finals after a week affected by rain in the U.S. capital. Al Jazeera reported that Fritz won 81% of his first-serve points and took the opening-set tiebreak before securing the match in the second set.
The DC Open results send both tours into the North American hard-court stretch ahead of the US Open, Al Jazeera reported.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.