Eala upsets Svitolina again to reach Washington Open semis

PUMPED. The Philippines' Alex Eala in action in the 2026 Washington Open. Mubadala DC Open Facebook page Alex Eala beats world No. 10 Elina Svitolina for the second time in two months as she makes the final four of a WTA Tour event for only the fifth time in her career MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala inched closer to a breakthrough WTA Tour crown with a repeat win over world No. 10 Elina Svitolina. Eala beat the Ukrainian veteran for the second time in two months, carving out a 6-3, 6-4 victory to advance to the semifinals of the Washington Open in the United States on Friday, July 31 (Saturday, August 1, Manila time). Curiously, it was the exact same scoreline and the same round when Eala first beat Svitolina in the quarterfinals of the Berlin Tennis Open in Germany in June — the Filipina reaching the final four of a WTA Tour event for only the fifth time in her career. “I came in with a great mindset today. I think I was playing really well. And of course, Elena hit some good shots, she was being aggressive, especially in that second set. So I’m really happy that I was able to kind of keep my rhythm,” said Eala. Eala fell behind 1-3 in the second set, but she reeled off three straight games to surge ahead at 4-3. Although Svitolina — who has won two WTA Tour titles this 2026 by ruling the Italian Open in Rome and the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand — pulled level at 4-4, Eala closed out the victory in 1 hour and 33 minutes by winning the next two games. Despite saving two match points after being down 15-40 in the 10th game, Svitolina sealed her fate with a pair of costly errors, dumping the ball into the net to give Eala the advantage then double-faulted on the next point. The win marked the sixth time Eala has beaten a top-10 player this year, with her other victims including Poland’s Iga Swiatek, Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, USA’s Coco Gauff, and Italy’s Jasmine Paolini. Overall, Eala holds an impressive 8-4 record against players in the world top 10. “There’s so many things that I’ve learned about the tour, about myself, about kind of what it takes to sustain this level, both physically and mentally, and just the effort you need to have to hang with these top players and stay there,” said Eala. “It’s definitely a long process. I’m just at the beginning of that learning process, so I’m really excited for what’s ahead.” Another top player stands in the way of Eala as she battles four-time Grand Slam winner and former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka of Japan in the semifinals on Sunday, August 2 (Manila time). – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading