Canada’s Leylah Fernandez eliminated from D.C. Open by Alexandra Eala
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Canada's Leylah Fernandez exits D.C. Open with second-round loss to Eala
Fernandez’s D.C. Open run ends
Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., concluded her participation in the D.C. Open after a second-round loss to Alexandra Eala of the Philippines. The match, which took place on Wednesday, saw Eala defeat Fernandez 6-2, 7-6 (1). This result marks the end of Fernandez’s title defence at the WTA 500 tournament, which she won last year.
Eala demonstrated strong performance, converting four of nine break points during the match. She also secured 63.3 per cent of the points on Fernandez’s second serve. The contest lasted for one hour and 53 minutes. Fernandez, who was the seventh seed in the tournament, now holds a singles record of 13-20 for the current season.
Prior to her singles exit, Fernandez also competed in the women’s doubles tournament. She and her partner, Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan, were eliminated in the first round on Tuesday. They lost to the Chinese duo of Tang Qianhui and Xu Yifan.
Eala’s path to the second round
Eala’s victory over Fernandez followed her successful debut in Washington, where she overcame a challenge in the first round. In her opening match at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, Eala defeated wild card Zheng Qinwen. This match required a comeback from Eala, who was down a set and a break against Zheng.
The first-round encounter saw Eala win 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 against Zheng. Zheng, a former World No. 4, had initially controlled much of the match after taking the opening set. At 4-3 in the second set, Zheng broke Eala at love, moving within two games of victory. However, Eala broke back at love and then won the next six games, completing a seven-game run that secured the second set and gave her a 4-0 lead in the decider.
Eala commented on the importance of that break, stating, “Maybe if I hadn’t gotten that break, who knows? Maybe it would have been too big of a gap.” She added that while “you never know in tennis,” the break “definitely helped.” Zheng briefly halted Eala’s momentum with a break of serve, but Eala immediately responded by breaking back to close out the match.
This was the first meeting between Eala and Zheng on the WTA Tour, and Eala’s victory levelled their overall head-to-head record at 1-1. Their previous encounter was at the 2023 Asian Games, where Zheng won a three-hour match. Eala expressed her belief in her own resilience, noting that while she has always possessed that quality, her increased experience from playing more three-set matches against top opponents has made her more comfortable in such moments.
Tournament chairman Mark Ein highlighted the significant effort made in the spring to bring Eala to Washington, citing high demand. He mentioned that within the last month, after Eala’s participation was confirmed, the ticketing team received numerous inquiries about her playing schedule. Ein stated that “at least 80%, if not more, of the requests in this tournament are about when is Alex Eala playing?” He further added that the demand was virtually universal, calling it “not an exaggeration.”
Ein also noted that Eala has become an icon in the Philippines and worldwide, contributing to her significant following. He described her presence in Washington as “one of the really great things that’s already happened this year.” While the crowd on Tuesday afternoon in Stadium Court was not sold out, it was largely pro-Eala, with Filipina flags visible. Eala acknowledged the strong atmosphere, saying, “I knew there was a Filipino community… I was pleasantly surprised… very electric.”
Looking ahead for Fernandez
Following her exit from the D.C. Open, the world No. 34 Fernandez is scheduled to move on to the National Bank Open in Toronto. Singles main-draw play for that tournament is set to begin on Sunday. Fernandez and her sister, Bianca, have also received a wild card entry for the women’s doubles tournament at Sobeys Stadium, where the National Bank Open will be held.
Eala’s victory in Washington also provided her with an opportunity to avenge a previous straight-sets defeat to Fernandez earlier this year in Stuttgart. This marked Eala’s first time competing in D.C.
Source: sportsnet.ca
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