By Elamae Go
MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala continued her remarkable rise on the women’s tennis tour after defeating four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, 6-4, 6-2, to book a place in the final of the Mubadala DC Open.
The victory marked the Filipina’s first appearance in a WTA 500 championship match and placed her one step away from capturing the biggest title of her career.
Standing in her way is world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, with both the championship trophy and a potential Top-20 world ranking on the line.
If Eala prevails, she will climb from her current No. 28 ranking to No. 20 in the live WTA standings with 2,106 points. Even before the final, she has already improved to a live ranking of No. 24 after her semifinal triumph.
Facing Osaka for the first time, Eala wasted little time asserting herself by grabbing an early service break. Although Osaka briefly took control midway through the opening set, Eala answered with three consecutive games to seize the advantage.
She remained composed in the second set, breaking early once again and never allowing Osaka to regain momentum before completing the straight-set victory.
The DC Open final also guarantees a substantial payday. Eala has locked in at least $155,000 (around P9.4 million), while winning the title would boost her earnings to $252,000 (approximately P15.4 million).
