Things just keep on getting better for Alexandra Eala. Going from strength to strength since the grass swing, she has begun her hard-court season on a solid note. She reached the final of the DC Open by defeating Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals in what was their first meeting on tour. And Eala had nothing but respect for Osaka after the match.

“Like I said, it’s such an honor to share the court with her (Osaka),” she said during her post-match interview. “But I think it’s just the way I approached today’s match; you could never count her out, and like I said, I had to be so locked in, and I made it a point to be so locked in, which is why I’m still in that mode of competition. So, I need time to let it sink in.”

The opening set of their encounter proved to be quite a rollercoaster. While Eala earned an early break, Osaka soon got the break back and opened up a 4-3 lead. But the Japanese wouldn’t be able to win any game in the set after this.

Eala was the far better player in the later stages and went on to win three consecutive games. This saw her clinch the opening set and take the all-important lead in the match. Eala would continue to dominate in the second set as Osaka got sloppy on her serve.

The Filipino gained a double break to wrap up the match in an hour and 16 minutes. This result highlighted just how well Eala has been performing in the last few weeks. The World No. 28 has dropped just one set in four matches so far at the DC Open. She has defeated six top 10 opponents overall this season.

Eala had a shaky start to the DC Open as Qinwen Zheng provided her with a tough challenge. Despite losing the first set, the Filipino went on to make a stunning comeback and triumphed 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. Eala has been pretty much locked in ever since that match.

She then defeated Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 7-6 in the second round, before securing a dominant 6-3, 6-4 victory over Elina Svitolina. The straight-set win over Osaka saw Eala qualify for her second final of the year. Her previous appearance in a final had come in June at the Birmingham Classic. She had defeated Nikola Bartunkova 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 to clinch her maiden title of the season.

But it won’t be wrong to say that her final in the DC Open can turn out to be even tougher than this. This is because Eala will be playing one of the best players on the WTA circuit, who will also have the crowd in her favor.

Alexandra Eala will tackle Jessica Pegula in the final of the Citi Open

In what will be just their second meeting on the tour, Eala and Pegula are set to battle for the coveted DC Open title. Unlike Eala, who had begun her campaign in the Round of 32, Pegula received a bye in the first round and started from the Round of 16.

This is because the American is the top seed in the competition and had entered the draw as a wildcard. She has also given convincing performances in the tournament so far. After surprisingly dropping the first set in her opening match against Magdalena Frech, Pegula made a quick recovery and went on to triumph 3-6, 6-3, 6-0.

She followed that up with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Anna Kalinskaya. Her spot in the final was sealed with a 7-5, 6-4 win against Diana Shnaider. Like Eala, Pegula has also dropped just a single set in the DC Open so far. But Eala will likely be her toughest challenger of the competition, and the match between them is expected to be pretty evenly matched.

Notably, Pegula and Eala had last met in the semifinals of the 2025 Miami Open. That match had proven to be quite a grueling affair, and the American had edged it 7-6, 5-7, 6-3.

While Pegula may have the ranking advantage, Eala is currently one of the most in-form players on the Tour. It remains to be seen which one of the two will come out on top in the much-awaited final of the DC Open.