Eala completes DC Open comeback to dethrone Fernandez

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Alex Eala showed mental toughness, grit, and a never-say-die attitude to frustrate defending champion Leylah Fernandez, 6-2, 7-6, and marched to the Mubadala DC Open quarterfinals on July 29, 2026, at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Washington.

After taking care of the first set with ease, Eala got into deep trouble when Fernandez stormed back, moving a game away from leveling the match with a 5-2 advantage in the second set.

Fernandez made up for her error-plagued first-set performance with a refined tactical adjustment as she targeted Eala’s forehand side to set up her down-the-line winners.

To kick off the momentum shift, Fernandez added more depth and power to her groundstrokes, forcing Eala to stay behind the baseline and play more defense.

Just when Fernandez thought that a walk in the park was in store in the second frame, Eala pulled off a comeback for the ages after picking her apart bit by bit with a combination of strategic patience and serving consistency.

Instead of settling for rushed forehand bombs, Eala played the rallies longer, firing looping lobs packed with topspin that made her offense unpredictable.

Down 4-5, Eala leveled the second set at 5-all after converting a break point, generated when the 21-year-old Filipina star ended an eight-shot exchange with an on-the-rise forehand winner.

Eala carried her momentum into the deciding tiebreaker as she quickly took command with a comfortable 3-0 advantage.

Fernandez’s only point in the tiebreak came on the fourth point, navigating through her court coverage with a clever left-handed tap off Eala’s shaky return.

From that point, Eala surged ahead, capping the Round of 16 win with a 4-0 run to secure her place in the tournament’s quarterfinals.

Despite recording no aces in the match, Eala banked on an efficient first-serve percentage of 67%, along with converting four break points while committing only two double faults.

Eala dominated offensively with 79 total points won, including 36 on the return, and put together an impressive seven-game winning streak in the second set.

“My level dropped a little bit; that was a tricky moment,” Eala said when asked about the second-set turnaround.

“When you know your level dropped and you want to play better, I think patience was key there. I’m just trying to work it out and have a strong mentality in terms of trying to find solutions.”