Eala’s Washington run earns praise after Osaka upset

Alex Eala has taken her Washington Open campaign to a new peak, and the reaction from one of Roger Federer’s former coaches reflected the scale of the achievement.

The Filipina booked her first WTA 500 final with a composed 6-4, 6-2 win over Naomi Osaka, finishing the match in just one hour and 16 minutes. Both players traded breaks early in the opening set, but Eala quickly took control behind a steadier serve and never faced another break point after that.

The 21-year-old now moves on to face Jessica Pegula, who produced her own comeback in the other semi-final. Pegula recovered from 5-2 down in the opening set to beat Diana Shnaider 7-5, 6-4, and she has now reached the 24th final of her career, with four of those coming this season.

Eala’s defeat of world No 13 Osaka added to an already striking 2026 season. It was her sixth win over a Top 10 player this year, and it also confirmed a new career-high ranking of world No 24, four places better than her previous best.

Paul Annacone, who coached Roger Federer from 2010 to 2013, was full of admiration after Eala’s semi-final success.

“This is amazing,” began Annacone.

“This is such a great journey to watch, because she had a springboard on to the Tour and she has done such a terrific job of getting comfortable with new sets of expectations in front of her.

“We’ve talked a lot about the fanbase and the people that follow her, whether she likes it or not she’s living life in a fishbowl right now, so how clearly can you go out and play with all those expectations?

“For me to watch someone with those kind of skills and to be able to use them against the best players, the most powerful plays is really incredible. Because she played Osaka in a way that is really difficult to do.

Annacone also pointed to the way Eala backed her own identity under pressure, stressing that her clarity and decision-making were central to the result. Just 18 months ago, she was outside the world’s top 150, making her rise one of the season’s clearest stories.