Filipino tennis star Alex Eala advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Mubadala DC Open after a straight-sets victory over world No. 10 Elina Svitolina on July 31 in Washington, D.
C.
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The 6-3, 6-4 win marked Eala's second consecutive victory over Svitolina, having beaten the second seed on grass at the Berlin Open in June with the same scoreline.
"I don't think that it's specifically because of who I'm up against. I think I came in with a great mindset today.
I think I was playing really well," said Eala.
The world No. 28 maintained her composure throughout the high-stakes match, navigating Svitolina's aggressive play to secure a spot in the final four.
"Of course, Elina hit some good shots.
She was being aggressive, especially in that second set, so I'm really happy that I was able to keep my rhythm kind of," Eala added.
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In the opening set, the two players traded serve breaks across the first five games before Eala held for a 4-2 lead.
After Svitolina closed the gap to 4-3, Eala rallied from a 0-40 deficit to hold serve, then broke Svitolina to seal the set.
Svitolina responded strongly in the second set, building a 3-1 lead. Eala answered by winning three consecutive games to go ahead 4-3.
Following a hold by Svitolina, Eala took the final two games, breaking serve to complete the victory.
The match gave Eala her sixth win over a Top 10 WTA player this season, boosting her preparation for the upcoming US Open later this month.
"There are 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.
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Eala will next face third-seeded Naomi Osaka in the tournament semifinals.
