WASHINGTON — Alex Eala left the Mubadala DC Open with her first WTA Tour title and a stronger belief in the improvements she has made to her game after defeating world No. 3 Jessica Pegula in Monday’s final.
Eala rallied past Pegula, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, to become the first Filipino player to win a WTA Tour singles title. She also became the first Filipino to capture a WTA 500 championship.
“Me and my first,” Eala wrote on social media alongside photos from her historic victory.
The 21-year-old Filipino faced one of the tournament’s toughest draws on her way to the title. She defeated reigning Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, defending champion Leylah Fernandez, world No. 9 Elina Svitolina, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and top seed Pegula.
Eala said the run gave her valuable experience against top-ranked opponents as she continues her development on the North American hardcourt circuit.
“I think to have this many matches at this very high level [against] high-caliber players, it helps me obviously just gain experience and more court time at that [high] level,” Eala said after the final.
She also pointed to improvements in her serve, an area that has drawn scrutiny throughout her career.
Against Pegula, Eala won 38 of 45 points, or 84.4%, behind her first serve. She won all 16 points behind her first serve in the second set and maintained strong numbers on her serve in the deciding set.
Her return game also remained effective. Eala won 20 of 46 points when Pegula served first and converted five of nine break-point opportunities.
“She’s beaten quite a few top players this year, including myself and she’s tricky to play against,” Pegula said.
Pegula also noted Eala’s left-handed serve and her physical development.
“I’ve seen her in the gym a lot. I think she’s trying to work on getting stronger and moving a little bit better, and I think that’s stuff that’s probably just gonna come with time,” Pegula said.
Eala said the demanding tournament helped her assess her progress and gave her confidence heading into the next events.
“I think I ended the tournament in better shape than I started,” she said. “Each match I kept improving and kept learning things about myself.”
Eala will next compete at the Canadian Open, a WTA 1000 tournament, before heading to New York for the US Open.
Her title in Washington gives her another opportunity to build on the experience she gained from a tournament that included five victories over high-caliber opponents.
“So definitely gives me a lot of confidence and it’s just really nice to see all the things that I’ve been working on off court or during training being implemented in matches,” Eala said.