Excellence is not a singular act but a habit. You are what you do repeatedly.
— American basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal
MAYPAJO, Caloocan City — Filipino tennis sensation Alexandra “Alex” Eala has truly cemented her place among the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour’s elite players.
The country’s pride defeated American ace Jessica Pegula, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, in the rain-delayed Washington Open final, becoming the first Filipina in history to win a WTA Tour singles title.
Following her historic triumph in the American capital, Eala climbed to a career-high world No. 20 in the WTA rankings. She also surged to No. 14 in the WTA Finals Race.
Reflecting on her breakthrough victory, Eala said: “I think inevitably propelling my progression and the level of my game. If you spend time at that kind of zone, the more time you spend there, I believe the better and more consistent you get.”
During her post-match media conference, the 20-year-old Quezon City native acknowledged the significance of her title-winning campaign, saying it would better prepare her for future high-stakes matches.
In her championship run, Jessica Pegula was far from the only elite WTA player to fall victim to Eala’s brilliant form at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center.
Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng was the first top star to bow to the Filipina, losing in three sets. Eala then dispatched 2025 Washington champion and 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in straight sets.
Looking back at Eala’s remarkable Washington campaign, many experts agree that the Filipina standout had one of the toughest paths to the title.
Eala shared the same sentiment.
“I think to have this many matches at this very high level, against these very high-caliber players, it helps me obviously just gain experience and more court time at that level,” she said.
Meanwhile, from the tournament’s total prize pool of US$1,637,982, Eala took home the champion’s purse of US$252,000, while runner-up Pegula received US$155,000.
Semifinalists Naomi Osaka and Diana Shnaider each earned US$90,900, while quarterfinalists Elina Svitolina, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Liudmila Samsonova, and Anna Kalinskaya received US$47,750 apiece.
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ia/xf
