Jessica Pegula suffered a painful 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 defeat at the hands of Alexandra Eala in the final of the 2026 DC Open on Monday. The American won the opening set but was thoroughly beaten in the next two sets by her 21-year-old opponent, who clinched her first career title just as Pegula had won her maiden title in Washington, D.C., seven years earlier.
Following the match, Pegula congratulated the new champion and candidly reflected on her experience with the crowd in the US capital, offering an honest admission about the atmosphere throughout the final.
Jessica Pegula Reacts to Alexandra Eala’s Mubadala DC Open Win
Pegula was the top seed at the WTA 500 tournament. She received a first-round bye, following which she secured wins against Magdalena Fręch, Anna Kalinskaya, and Diana Shnaider. She entered the title clash, leading 1-0 in her head-to-head record against Eala, but couldn’t replicate her success as the Filipina successfully chased her first Tour-level trophy.
Eala’s path to the title was anything but easy. She opened her campaign against Paris Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen before defeating defending champion Leylah Fernandez. The Filipina then capped her dream run with victories over the tournament’s top three seeds — Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, and Jessica Pegula.
“I want to congratulate Alex on an amazing week, an amazing tournament. I don’t know how much more I can say, but you’re an amazing player,” Pegula said in her runner-up speech.
More than a year ago, Pegula defeated Eala 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3 in the semifinals of the Miami Open. The American recently admitted she was surprised by the overwhelming support the then-little-known Filipina received despite the match being played on her home turf. Heading into the Washington, D.C. final, Pegula expected a similar atmosphere given Eala’s rapidly growing popularity among Filipino fans.
However, after Sunday’s rain delays pushed the conclusion of the final to Monday, Pegula was still astonished to see Eala’s supporters return in large numbers for the resumption. She jokingly admitted that while she appreciated the lively atmosphere, playing in front of a crowd that was firmly behind her opponent was far from enjoyable.
“…and just to see how far you’ve come over the last couple of years when we first played, to see the amazing fans that follow you every single place you go — it’s not fun to play against, but I do appreciate the really fun atmosphere. I think it’s amazing, so congrats, all the best to you and your team and your coach.”
“I can definitely confirm, probably for a Monday final, this is the best Monday final crowd I’ve seen. Some people took off work. I won’t tell them where you guys were, but it’s amazing that you guys showed up and again, to all the Filipino fans that came out, you guys are still helping grow tennis around the world and I appreciate that being a female athlete, being in tennis, we love to see that grow so thanks so much everyone,” she said.
Pegula and Eala are now expected to compete at the WTA 1000 Canadian Open in Toronto. They have received first-round byes and begin their campaigns directly in the Round of 64.
