‘Seek Shelter’ – Jessica Pegula and Alexandra Eala’s Final Postponed As Mubadala DC Open Sends Alert

Tennis fans eagerly waiting to watch the 2026 Mubadala DC Open clash between Jessica Pegula and Alexandra Eala will have to wait longer. The tournament has announced that Sunday’s matches have been delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions.

Mubadala DC Open Organizers Share Update on Jessica Pegula and Alexandra Eala Clash

Top seed Pegula, who beat Magdalena Fręch, Anna Kalinskaya, and Diana Shnaider, is gearing up for her second final in Washington, D.C., having won her career’s first tour-level title at the tournament in 2019.

Seven years later, Eala is chasing a similar breakthrough after reaching her first WTA 500 final with an impressive run, which has included wins against Zheng Qinwen, defending champion Leylah Fernandez, second seed Elina Svitolina, and third seed Naomi Osaka.

The players were scheduled to take the court for their highly anticipated clash at 12:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 2 (12:00 a.m. PHT, August 3), but the start was delayed due to an unfavorable weather forecast.

With rain continuing to disrupt play, the Mubadala DC Open organizers provided regular updates on social media. Their latest announcement confirmed that play would not resume before 2:30 p.m. ET, with the delay likely to be extended if weather conditions do not improve.

The weather also abruptly halted the Julian Cash and Llyod Glasspool vs. Austin Krajicek and Nikola Mektić men’s doubles final. Meanwhile, following the match between Jessica Pegula and Alexandra Eala, Taylor Fritz and Rafael Jódar are scheduled to compete in the men’s singles final.

“Play will not resume before 2:30pm EST due to rain and lightning. Everyone on site should seek shelter immediately,” the alert on X read at the time of writing.

The showdown between Pegula and Eala will mark their second meeting on the Tour, with the American winning their first battle 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3 during the Filipino star’s fairy-tale run at the 2025 Miami Open.

“I’ve been watching her ever since Miami. Obviously, she’s been doing really well and she’s gotten a lot better, too, as a player and become more experienced,” Pegula said in her press conference before the final.

“I think there are some things that I’m going to try and implement. I’m not sure it’s going to work. I don’t know if I can execute it, but there are definitely some things, and I do think I’m playing a little bit better than when I played her in Miami. But at the same time, she’s playing better, too. So, we’ll just see what happens.”

Eala, meanwhile, acknowledged the challenge that awaits her. “She is a really good player. She hits quite a flat ball, makes the opponent uncomfortable, or at least I felt uncomfortable last time. I think I did a good job, in certain points last year, of trying, like holding my ground, like I won the second set.

“But yeah, I think there will definitely be a certain set of challenges. She is where she is for a reason. So, I’m going to try to face it head-on and do what I can,” she added.

MORE: ‘Probably Going To Be Worse’ – Jessica Pegula Reacts to Alexandra Eala’s Popularity Ahead of DC Open Final

After the final in Washington, D.C., the players are expected to travel to Toronto for the WTA 1000 event, which is already underway. Both players are seeded and have received first-round byes. Pegula faces either Magdalena Fręch or Leolia Jeanjean in the second round, while Eala awaits Alycia Parks or Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.