Alex Eala has her first WTA title after defeating Jessica Pegula in the Washington Open final, a result that marked a major step forward in her career.

The 21-year-old Filipina had already shown promise with a run to the Eastbourne Open final and victories in a pair of Challenger events, but this was the first time she converted that progress into a title at one of the WTA Tour’s biggest stages.

The final was stretched across two days after a storm disrupted play on Sunday. Eala returned to the court for the second day trailing by a set, yet she responded with a sharp and composed performance. She took the second set 6-4 before Pegula’s level dropped away, allowing Eala to close out the match with a 6-0 third set.

Hours after the victory, Rafael Nadal posted a message to the 21-year-old on social media. “Congratulations, Alex Eala!,” wrote the King of Clay. “What an incredible week in Washington! A well-deserved title for all the hard work.

Congratulations to the Philippines and to the entire Rafael Nadal Academy team!”

Eala trained at the King of Clay’s academy in Spain during her early years before turning professional and making her mark on the WTA Tour in 2025. Nadal has praised her publicly before, including during her run to the Miami Open semi finals last year. After her quarter final win over Iga Swiatek, he wrote: “We are extremely proud of you, Alex,” Nadal wrote on X after her quarter final victory against the Pole. “What an incredible tournament! Let’s keep dreaming!”

This Washington triumph has lifted Eala into the WTA Tour top 20, and more gains appear likely. She is defending only 70 points across the Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open, and US Open, while she is just 41 points behind world No 19 Ekaterina Alexandrova. If her summer form continues, a top 15 debut before the US Open is within reach.

Since the grass court season, Eala has also reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time, won the Birmingham Challenger, and made the semi finals of the Berlin Open. Her rise has been rapid, and it shows no sign of slowing.

Greg Rusedski has suggested that Alex Eala is not far from reaching the highest level of the women’s game, provided she can refine a couple of details in her attack. The former world No 4, speaking with a clear eye on the 2027 season, believes the 21-year-old can turn a relative weakness into a genuine asset, with her serve the main point of emphasis.

Even with Eala edging toward the top 20, the WTA rankings data still show where the margins remain. She is 58th for aces, 89th for service games won, and 62nd for second serve points won. On the return, the figures are also striking, with the WTA website placing her 95th in both return games won at 35.4% and return points won at 43.7%. Those numbers, in Rusedski’s view, sit alongside her clear ability to control matches from the baseline.

Rusedski’s praise came before the finish of her Washington Open final against Jessica Pegula, when he called the left-hander the “most exciting” player on the women’s tour. He argued that a small increase in pace on both serves, especially the second delivery, could help her move into the game’s elite.

He said on the latest episode of Off Court with Greg Rusedski, “From my point of view, the most exciting player on the WTA tour is Eala because of the way she plays; she’s fearless. She takes the ball early. She’s a lefty.

“The one area to win a major, I still think that she needs in her game, is to get that serve a little bit better, a little bit more powerful. And I was listening to [Andrea] Petkovic, who’s one of the best pundits in the world, talking about and comparing her to Eugenie Bouchard when Bouchard made her Grand Slam final, of how early she takes the ball, how aggressively she plays.

“But then with Eugenie, it kind of went off the rails a little bit where she didn’t have that pop on her serve and she couldn’t keep that up and certain injuries came in. But Eala, you feel there’s something different. Her mentality is so good. She’s so strong.

“So from my point of view, she’s a little bit of the dark horse. She’s not quite ready, in my opinion, to win a major, but we have seen stranger things. I think maybe next year, if she can get that improvement on the serve, then she’s definitely in the mix because the rest of her game is there.”

After Washington, Eala moves on to the Canadian Masters in Toronto, where she is seeded 25th and will meet either Alycia Parks or Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva in round two. Although she is not due on court until Wednesday, her ticket allocation has already sold out, another sign of her growing appeal.

Rusedski also drew a comparison with Serena Williams in that respect, and said her left-handed serve still gives her a useful escape route even if it is not yet a major weapon.

The former British No 1 continued, “I believe for her first match in Toronto, it’s a full sell-out, you know, opening match, which is unheard of. The only person who was doing that before her was Serena Williams. That’s how big she is. And for me, she is nothing but a positive for the game.

“And if that serve can get up to where second serves hitting about 75 to 80 miles an hour at the first, probably going about 105, she’s in the top five. And then we’re talking about her winning majors. So that’s the area where she’s got to get better.

“Her team knows that if everybody’s talking about it in the media, she’s clever enough, she’s got a great coaching staff, they know these things have to change and they’ll build it up gradually and they’ll get there in time.

“And we all have little things we’ve got to keep on working on. But the nice thing is she’s a lefty. Being a lefty, you can get away with a little bit less speed because of the spin of the ball, the way it slides. There’s not too many lefties on the WTA tour at the moment in the women’s game.”

Eala ultimately rallied to win in three sets, becoming the first Filipina to win a WTA Tour title. She also entered the top 20 for the first time.

Alex Eala delivered the biggest victory of her career in Washington, completing a comeback three-set win over Jessica Pegula in a final stretched across two days.

The 21-year-old was edged in a tight opening set on Sunday, losing 6-4 before rain and lightning brought the match to a halt with Pegula leading 2-1 in the second. When play resumed on Monday afternoon, the momentum shifted sharply. Eala imposed herself with growing authority, taking the second set 6-4 after absorbing early pressure from the former US Open finalist.

From there, the unseeded left-hander was in full control. She broke early in the decider and never allowed Pegula back into the contest, closing out the final 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. It was a statement finish to a run that also included wins over second seed Elina Svitolina and third seed Naomi Osaka.

The title was Eala’s first at WTA 500 level and sent her into the Canadian Open with a major confidence boost. For Pegula, who had looked the stronger player on Sunday, the loss was a costly one. She remains third in the rankings, while Eala’s breakthrough week lifted her from a career-high of 28 to 24 before pushing her into the top 20 for the first time.

Eala now sits on 2,106 ranking points after earning 500 for the title. Pegula collected 325 and stays on 6,625, leaving her 976 points ahead of Coco Gauff in fourth. Eala’s rise also moves her past French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska in the standings.

The prize money reflected the event’s structure, with Eala earning $252,000 for the championship and Pegula receiving $155,000 as runner-up. Eala’s winning total was $54,430 more than last year’s women’s champion received.