In a stunning upset, Alexandra Eala defeated former world number one Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 to reach the women's final of the WTA and ATP Washington Open. The 21-year-old Philippines left-hander delivered an impressive victory over the four-time Grand Slam winner from Japan, advancing to her second career WTA final. Eala will face third-ranked Jessica Pegula, who eliminated Russia's Diana Shnaider 7-5, 6-4 in the other semi-final.
Eala, set to jump to a career-best 24th in the world rankings, had previously ousted second seed Elina Svitolina and dethroned 2025 Washington champion Leylah Fernandez. "I'm super proud of my performance," Eala said. "I played really well and I had a great mentality and I stayed locked in until the end."
Osaka, ranked 13th, was thwarted in her bid for an eighth career WTA title and first since taking the 2021 Australian Open. "I hit a lot of unforced errors, so that was probably one of the main reasons," for the loss, Osaka said.
Pegula, seeking her 12th career WTA title and third of the year, battled back from a 5-2 deficit against Shnaider to reach her fourth final of the year. "It's going to be a battle," Pegula said of the final. "Alex, I'm a big fan of her. She's the future of the tour and she's already here."
The men's final will send American Taylor Fritz, ranked 10th, against either Chile's Alejandro Tabilo or 19-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jodar. Fritz ousted 33rd-ranked countryman Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Jodar, assured of cracking the world rankings top 20 next week, won his first ATP title in April at Morocco. Tabilo, ranked 30th, seeks his fourth career ATP trophy.
