By el Amigo
MANILA — Pinay pride Alex Eala etched her name into history after capturing her first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles title with a dramatic comeback victory over world No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the rain-delayed Mubadala DC Open final on Monday (Manila time).
The 21-year-old Filipina rallied from a set down to defeat the tournament’s top seed, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, clinching the biggest victory of her professional career and becoming the first Filipina and the first Southeast Asian player to win a WTA Tour-level singles title.
The championship match began on Sunday but was halted due to heavy rain and thunderstorms with Eala trailing 4-6, 1-2. When play resumed the following day, the Filipina displayed remarkable composure and resilience, turning the match around by taking the second set, 6-4, before completely dominating Pegula with a stunning 6-0 shutout in the deciding set.
The victory marks Eala’s maiden WTA singles crown, a milestone that further cements her status as one of the sport’s brightest young stars.
Following her breakthrough triumph, Eala is projected to soar to a career-high world ranking of No. 20, another historic achievement for Philippine tennis.
Her remarkable run in Washington has been widely hailed as one of the greatest accomplishments ever by a Filipino athlete on the international tennis stage, inspiring a new generation of players and bringing pride to the Philippines.
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