Eala beats McNally to reach Toronto fourth round

Filipino tennis star Alexandra Eala advanced to the fourth round of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open in Toronto on Saturday, August 8, 2026, after a hard-fought three-set victory over American Caty McNally. The 21-year-old, seeded 20th, won 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 39 minutes on Centre Court at Sobeys Stadium.

Eala, who is riding a seven-match winning streak that includes her first WTA Tour title in Washington, D.C., on August 4, displayed resilience after needing a medical timeout for a tweaked right ankle during the second set. McNally, ranked 70th, fought back from deficits to force a decider, but Eala found another gear in the third set. She built a 4-2 lead and held on to secure the win with a forehand that McNally returned out of bounds.

"I'm OK. Yeah, I think I survived that one, it was so tough," Eala said in her on-court interview. "I want to thank Caty for a great match, being a great sport. It's one of those matches that really could have gone either way."

The statistics underscored the closeness of the contest. Eala won 54 percent of her service points compared to McNally's 52 percent. The difference came in errors, with McNally committing five...