Alexandra Eala has been forced to wait for her maiden WTA Tour title after the Washington DC final was suspended.
Eala was trailing home favorite Jessica Pegula 6-4, 1-2 when thunderstorms forced the suspension of their meeting at the Mubadala DC Open.
But the Filipina superstar has already done enough to catch the eye of Rick Macci, who once coached WTA legend Serena Williams.
Alexandra Eala will finish 2026 ranked — in the world
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Alexandra Eala backed to break WTA top five
Sharing his thoughts on X, Macci said of the 21-year-old in his unique style: “Alex Eala game is trending because she plays the ball not so much the person.
“Her game is about taking away time and cutting the court and hitting early inside the baseline.
“Clean pretty simple groundstrokes off both wings.
“Eat the second serve for healthy breakfast.
“Mentally calm and overall high-level intensity.
“On hard court she rises to another gear and will be top 5 by the end of the year.”
Having enjoyed a meteoric rise, Eala is currently 28th in the WTA rankings, which represents her career-high.
| Top rank by year | Year-end ranking | |
| 28 | 2026 | – |
| 50 | 2025 | 50 |
| 143 | 2024 | 158 |
| 189 | 2023 | 205 |
| 214 | 2022 | 219 |
| 505 | 2021 | 529 |
| 1180 | 2020 | – |
But Macci’s praise certainly didn’t end there, with the coach also writing on X: “The Philippine Machine is very keen and one of the best we have seen at taking the ball early and clean.
“Top ten is around the bend and she will win a few Slams and they will become her new best friend.
“Alex and her serve needs biomechanical help to get more juice and power and if that happens she will be standing on the number one WTA tower.”
Alexandra Eala’s dream run in Washington DC
Eala breaking the WTA top 10 for the very first time by the end of the year would be a simply sensational feat, never mind the top five or even better.
And while it would be a very big ask indeed, her current form certainly suggests that it definitely cannot be ruled out.
READ MORE: Alexandra Eala has three reasons to be confident of enjoying a lengthy US Open run
She has a big mountain to climb against WTA veteran Pegula in Washington, but her journey there so far proves just how talented and determined she is.
The Filipina superstar has already defeated three seeded players so far, having come from behind to beat Qinwen Zheng in her opener.
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| Round of 32 | Qinwen Zheng | 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
| Round of 16 | Leylah Fernandez (7) | 6-2, 7-6(7-1) |
| Quarterfinal | Elina Svitolina (2) | 6-3, 6-4 |
| Semifinal | Naomi Osaka (3) | 6-4, 6-2 |
| Final | Jessica Pegula (1) | 4-6, 2-1* |
It’s been a fantastic run, and the 21-year-old can hold her head very high regardless of what happens in her final with Pegula.
She could not have asked for a better start to the hard-court swing, with Eala having already been a US Open dark horse before this venture.
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