Alex Eala’s Washington title gave her a trophy. It also gave tennis fans a story they were eager to celebrate.
The Filipina claimed 78 percent of the vote in the WTA’s Star of the Hard-Court Swing poll, leaving US Open champion and world No. 1 Elena Rybakina a distant second with 16 percent. Toronto champion Iga Swiatek was also among the nominees. The poll measures fan support, but its lopsided result shows the impact of Eala’s rise.
Eala arrived in Washington seeking her first WTA Tour title. To get it, she beat Zheng Qinwen, defending champion Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina and Naomi Osaka, then rallied past top seed Jessica Pegula in the final. She won the deciding set 6-0 and broke into the world’s Top 20 for the first time. She now sits at No. 18.
Her hard-court campaign had another memorable chapter at the US Open. Eala lost a three-hour battle to Iva Jovic, then crossed the net to embrace her opponent after the final point.
For Eala, the vote completes a sweep of the WTA’s grass-court and hard-court Star of the Swing fan polls this year. Her next challenge is on court, as the season turns to its Asian swing.
