Aug 4 (Reuters) - Few young players on the WTA Tour have experienced the level of expectation and support Alexandra Eala has received since she earned a place on the elite women's circuit, and on Monday the Filipina showed what all the fuss is about by winning the Washington Open.
Eala capped her breakthrough run by rallying to defeat top seed Jessica Pegula 4-6 6-4 6-0 in a rain-interrupted final that began on Sunday, becoming the first woman from her country to claim a tour-level singles crown.
Along the way, the 21-year-old beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, last year's winner Leylah Fernandez, second seed Elina Svitolina and four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, victories which will mark her out as a dangerous outsider for the upcoming U.S. Open.
"It's an incredible milestone for me," Eala told reporters.
"At the beginning of the week, there's no way I'd have thought that I'd be holding this trophy. These things creep up on you, and I hold these moments really close to me.
"It was a very steep hill. Coming into the tournament, I knew that the competition was super strong and my draw was quite tough. Every match was a different set of obstacles. I'm really proud.
"I ended the tournament in better shape than I started. Each match I kept improving and kept learning things about myself. So it definitely gives me a lot of confidence.
"It's really nice to see all the things I've been working on off court or during training being implemented in matches."
PROGRESS CLOSELY WATCHED
Eala's progress has been closely watched since her U.S. Open junior triumph in 2022. Reaching the Eastbourne final last year and making the fourth round at Wimbledon last month signalled steady improvement.
As Eala's reputation grew, so too did her following, with large groups of Filipino fans packing the stands at tournaments around the world to back a player many see as a pioneer for tennis in their country.
Her popularity was evident in the final of the WTA 500 event on Monday, with Eala's opponent Pegula impressed by the level of support on show.
"It's amazing that you guys showed up and again, to all the Filipino fans that came out, you are helping grow tennis around the world," she said.
"I appreciate that being a female athlete and being in tennis, we love to see that grow."
Eala can expect that support to continue at this week's Canadian Open in Toronto before she heads to New York for the U.S. Open beginning on August 30.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
