Eala vs. Pegula Washington Final Postponed: When Will Match Resume?

Alex Eala’s pursuit of her first WTA title will stretch into another day.

The Mubadala DC Open women’s final between Eala and Jessica Pegula was postponed overnight after persistent rain prevented play from resuming Sunday at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center in Washington.

ABS-CBN reporter Dyan Castillejo, who was at the venue, reported at 9:07 p.m. that play had been abandoned for the night and would resume Monday. A restart time had not been announced.

The match will continue from the point at which it was suspended. Pegula leads 6-4, 1-2, with Eala ahead in the second set and the players due to return at the changeover.

Monday’s starting time will depend on the weather, court conditions and the tournament’s revised order of play. Philippine viewers will also need to account for the 12-hour time difference: A Monday daytime restart in Washington would occur Monday night in Manila.

Rain Wipes Out Multiple Restart Attempts

The final was originally scheduled to begin at noon Sunday but was delayed for approximately three hours by rain and lightning.

Pegula and Eala eventually took Stadium Court around 3 p.m. The American converted two of her three break-point opportunities to capture a closely contested opening set 6-4.

Eala responded by holding twice to lead 2-1 in the second set. Neither player faced a break point in those three games, and the Filipina won all seven points played behind her first serve.

Rain returned with the players at the second-set changeover, suspending the final at 3:57 p.m. after only 55 minutes of tennis.

Organizers spent the next five hours searching for a playable window. Several projected resumption times came and went as intermittent showers repeatedly interrupted the court-drying process.

Shortly before 6 p.m., the tournament announced that lightning was no longer in the vicinity. Conditions improved enough for crews to work on the court, but the rain returned before the players could begin warming up.

Castillejo reported at 8:06 p.m. that the court was almost dry. Less than an hour later, she delivered the discouraging update that rain had returned and left the surface wet again.

That shower ended any realistic chance of completing the final Sunday.

Alex Eala’s Historic Bid Put on Hold

The postponement leaves both finalists facing the unusual challenge of carrying the tension of a championship match overnight.

Pegula stands one set from her third title of the season, the 12th of her career and her second in Washington. She won her first WTA trophy at the tournament in 2019.

Eala, meanwhile, must win two sets Monday to claim her first tour-level singles championship. The 21-year-old is contesting her second WTA final and her first at the 500 level.

The Filipina reached the championship match by defeating Zheng Qinwen, defending champion Leylah Fernandez, world No. 10 Elina Svitolina and four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka.

Pegula won their only previous meeting, prevailing 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3 in the 2025 Miami Open semifinals.

Their rematch has already extended across two days. The winner will finally be decided Monday, weather permitting.

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