Alexandra Eala upsets Naomi Osaka to reach final in Washington
- The players traded early breaks before Eala made her move with the opening set tied 4-4
Alexandra Eala continued her breakthrough season by upsetting third-seeded Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday to reach the final of the Mubadala DC Open in Washington.
The players traded early breaks before Eala made her move with the opening set tied 4-4.
The 21-year-old from the Philippines broke Osaka in the ninth game and then held at love to take the set. She carried that momentum into the second, jumping ahead 2-0 and adding another break for a 5-2 advantage before completing the victory in 76 minutes.
Eala will face top-seeded Jessica Pegula, who recovered from a slow start to defeat fourth-seeded Diana Shnaider of Russia 7-5, 6-4. Shnaider led 5-2 in the opening set before Pegula claimed five consecutive games, beginning a stretch in which the American won 10 of 12 to build a 5-2 lead in the second. Shnaider broke when Pegula first served for the match, but Pegula closed it out two games later.
Pegula is seeking her third title of the season, 12th of her career and second in Washington after earning her first tour trophy there in 2019. Pegula won the only previous meeting with Eala in the 2025 Miami Open semifinals.
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Sixteen-year-old qualifier Kristina Liutova extended her historic run by defeating Elvina Kalieva 7-5, 6-1 to reach the final in her first WTA Tour main draw.
Kalieva served for the opening set at 5-4, but Liutova won three straight games to take control. The Russian teenager then broke to begin the second set and pulled away, winning six of the final seven games to complete the victory.
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Liutova became the first player born in the 2010s to reach a WTA final and the youngest finalist on tour since Coco Gauff won the 2019 Linz title at age 15. Her run has included victories over top-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova, Maya Joint of Australia and sixth-seeded Caty McNally.
Liutova will meet another first-time finalist in Darja Vidmanova, who dispatched Renata Zarazua of Mexico 6-3, 6-3. The 23-year-old Czech recorded five aces, won 76.5% of her first-serve points and saved five of the six break points she faced.
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