Eala avenges Fernandez loss, reaches Washington quarterfinals

Alex Eala booked her place in the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 Mubadala Citi DC Open after defeating defending champion and seventh seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada, 6-2, 7-6(1), on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Fresh off a marathon two-hour, 27-minute victory over former world No. 4 Zheng Qinwen in the opening round, the Filipina continued her impressive form with another composed performance against the world No. 28 and 2021 US Open runner-up.

The win also gave Eala sweet revenge after losing to Fernandez in straight sets during the opening round of the WTA Stuttgart Open in April.

Eala dominated the opening set from the start, racing to a 3-0 lead while conceding just two points in the first three games. Although Fernandez steadied herself by holding serve in the fourth game, Eala remained in control and claimed three of the final four games to wrap up the set, 6-2.

Fernandez responded strongly in the second set.

The Canadian survived a marathon service game featuring six deuces before breaking Eala on her third opportunity to take a 2-1 lead. She later extended her advantage to 5-1, appearing poised to force a deciding set.

Eala, however, mounted a remarkable comeback.

The 21-year-old found her range from the baseline and capitalized on Fernandez's mounting unforced errors, breaking serve twice while reeling off five straight games to turn a 1-5 deficit into a 6-5 lead.

Fernandez forced a tiebreak after holding serve in the 12th game, but Eala was flawless in the decider, surrendering just one point to complete the victory in one hour and 55 minutes.

The triumph marked Eala's second consecutive win over a higher-ranked opponent in Washington following her first-round upset of Zheng Qinwen.

Eala advanced to her second WTA 500 quarterfinal of the season, where she will face either second seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine or qualifier Polina Kudermetova.