Alex Eala trails Jessica Pegula as storms suspend DC Open final

Alex Eala of the Philippines looks on during a women’s singles championship match against Jessica Pegula of the United States on the final day of the Mubadala DC Open 2026 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on August 02, 2026 in Washington, DC. Emilee Chinn/Getty Images/AFP

LIVE: Alex Eala vs Jessica Pegula – Mubadala DC Open final

Rising star Alex Eala and world number three Jessica Pegula must wait until Tuesday (Manila time) to decide a Washington Open champion after thunderstorms postponed the completion of Sunday’s WTA final.

After waiting through a three-hour thunderstorm delay to start, Pegula won the first set 6-4 and Eala led 2-1 in the second set of the championship match when rain returned.

More than five hours passed with conditions remaining unplayable before organizers called off the resumption of play until Tuesday.

READ: Alex Eala vs Jessica Pegula Mubadala DC Open final delayed by rain

Top seed in top form 😤

Jessica Pegula takes the opening set, 6-4!@JPegula | #MubadalaDCOpen pic.twitter.com/oATjj7GtVn

— wta (@WTA) August 2, 2026

Also postponed was the entire men’s final at the WTA and ATP 500-level hardcourt tournament, with 10th-ranked American Taylor Fritz set to face 19-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jodar.

The women’s final will resume Tuesday at 12 a.m. (Manila time) with the men’s final not before 1 a.m.

Pegula, who won her first WTA title in 2019 at Washington, seeks her 12th tour trophy and third of the year after Dubai and Charleston.

The 32-year-old American top seed defeated Eala in a 2025 Miami semifinal in their only prior meeting.

Philippines star Eala, cheered all week by a host of supporters, seeks her first WTA title in her second career final, having lost last year at Eastbourne.

READ: Alex Eala sees improved self ahead of rematch vs Jessica Pegula

The 21-year-old left-hander is set to jump to a career-best 24th in the world rankings.

Eala ousted former world number one Naomi Osaka, second seed Elina Svitolina and defending champion Leylah Fernandez to reach the final.

Pegula broke Eala in the fifth game, blasting a forehand service return winner, only for Eala to break back at love to 3-3 on a blistering backhand service return winner.

Pegula saved two break points in holding to 4-4, broke again when Eala sent a forehand long in the ninth game and held at love to capture the first set in 40 minutes when Eala hit a backhand beyond the baseline.

Players were on serve and in a changeover when the rain returned.

In 53 minutes before the stoppage, Pegula hit 14 winners to only four by Eala while both had 20 unforced errors.

In the men’s final, Fritz seeks an 11th career ATP title and his first since last year at Eastbourne.

Jodar, assured of reaching a career-high 15th in next week’s rankings, seeks his second ATP crown after winning at Morocco in April.