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| Alex Eala celebrates her win over Leylah Fernandez at the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2026. Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images |
Every match seems to bring another defining moment in Alex Eala's remarkable rise.
Down 1-5 in the second set, Eala earned an impressive triumph against defending champion Leylah Fernandez, knocking off the Filipina-Canadian left-hander, 6-2, 7-6(1), in the second round of the 2026 Mubadala DC Open early Thursday morning (Philippine time) in Washington, D.C.
The victory sent the 21-year-old Filipina into the quarterfinals and evened her head-to-head record with the 2021 US Open finalist at one win apiece.
Fernandez had won their lone previous meeting, 6-1, 6-4, in the opening round of the Stuttgart Open in April.
This time, however, Eala seized control from the onset.
Eala picked up where she left off in her opening-round victory over Zheng Qinwen, making another fast start by breaking Fernandez in the second game to race to a 2-0 lead. The Filipina quickly consolidated the advantage with a comfortable hold, extending her lead to 3-0.
The Canadian star found her footing with her first hold of the match in the fourth game before threatening to turn the momentum in the next, earning a break point on Eala's serve. But the world no. 28 held her nerve, saving the opportunity and escaping with a crucial hold to preserve her three-game cushion at 4-1.
Both players remained solid behind serve over the next two games, keeping the score at 5-2 before Eala sealed the opening set in emphatic fashion. Eala broke Fernandez for a second time in the eighth game, closing out the opener 6-2 with another clinical return game.
The biggest difference to highlight Eala's smooth play was the unforced errors count, where she only committed four to the 14 of Fernandez.
The second set began on even footing, with both players holding serve through the opening two games. Although Eala stayed level on the scoreboard, she nearly seized the early initiative in the second game, pushing the 23-year-old through a grueling 17-point battle and earning a break point before the reigning champion escaped to hold.
Fernandez capitalised on that momentum in the next game, breaking Eala for the first time in the match to move ahead 2-1. The Canadian continued to dictate play from the baseline, backing up the break with comfortable holds in the fourth and sixth games while adding another service break in the fifth to build a commanding 5-1 advantage.
However, Eala refused to fade, as she steadied herself with holds in the seventh and ninth games and broke Fernandez for the first time in the set in between, reeling off three straight games to cut the deficit to 5-4 and force the Canadian to serve it out.
And once again, Eala delivered another trademark moment. With Fernandez serving to stay ahead, Eala produced her third break of the set to edge in front 6-5, only for the reigning champion to respond with a break of her own and force a tiebreak.
But the momentum had firmly swung in Eala's favor. The 21-year-old raced to a 3-0 lead in the breaker and never looked back, dictating the rallies and closing it out in emphatic fashion, 7-1, to complete another remarkable comeback.
With this win, Eala now awaits the winner of the Round of 16 match between No. 2 seed Elina Svitolina and Polina Kudermetova in the final eight.
- Miguel Alfonso Caramoan
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