The 2026 edition of the WTA 500 Mubadala DC Open concluded with Alexandra Eala clinching her career’s maiden title by beating Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the two-day final on Monday, August 3. The Filipina did so by beating the top three seeds en route.
Details on the Prize Money Alexandra Eala and Jessica Pegula Earned at the Mubadala DC Open
The women’s singles event featured several top stars, including Naomi Osaka, Madison Keys, Leylah Fernandez, Venus Williams, Elina Svitolina, and Eala, with Pegula leading the field as the top seed. While some contenders suffered unexpected early exits, others enjoyed deep runs, gaining valuable match practice ahead of the premier North American stretch.
Alexandra Eala enjoyed a spectacular breakthrough to reach her first WTA 500 final, beating high-profile players like 2024 Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, defending champion Fernandez 6-2, 7-6(1), second seed Svitolina 6-3, 6-4, and third seed Osaka 6-4, 6-2 before toppling Pegula in the title clash.
Meanwhile, Pegula, the 2019 champion, opened her campaign in the second round with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 comeback win against Magdalena Fręch, she beat last year’s finalist Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 7-5 in the quarterfinal before a 7-5, 6-4 semifinal victory against Diana Shnaider.
In the final, Eala challenged the top seed from the outset but was unable to close out the opening set in her favor. She held a 2-1 lead on serve in the second set when rain forced play to be suspended for the day. When the match resumed on Monday, the Filipina returned with renewed intensity, conceding just three more games as she stormed to the title.
Of the $1,637,982 WTA prize pool, Eala, the champion, pocketed $252,000. Meanwhile, as the runner-up, Pegula was awarded $155,000.
Semifinalists Osaka and Shnaider each received $90,900 for their singles runs. Quarterfinal exits for Svitolina, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Liudmila Samsonova, and Anna Kalinskaya earned each player $47,750 in prize money.
Pegula, who lost her first match last year, earned 325 ranking points, while Eala secured 500 points for her victory.
Courtesy of her performance in Washington, D.C., Eala will assume a new career-high-ranking position of World No. 20. Meanwhile, Pegula, the World No. 3, has been steadily closing the gap with the world’s top 2, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.
After the Mubadala DC Open final, the American-Filipino pair will travel to Toronto for the WTA 1000 tournament (August 2-13). As seeded players at the tournament, they have received a direct second-round entry.
Pegula, the third seed, awaits the winner of Magdalena Fręch vs. Leolia Jeanjean, while Eala, the 25th seed, faces either Alycia Parks or Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva in her opener.
