Eala beats Svitolina to reach Washington Open semifinals

Filipino tennis star Alexandra Eala advanced to the semifinals of the WTA 500 Mubadala D.C. Open in Washington, D.C., on Friday, July 31, defeating world No. 10 Elina Svitolina in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. The 21-year-old will face four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the semifinals on Saturday, August 1.

Eala, currently ranked 28th, secured her second victory over Svitolina in as many months, replicating the exact scoreline from their quarterfinal encounter at the Berlin Open in June. The match lasted one hour and 33 minutes, with Eala rallying from a 1-3 deficit in the second set to clinch the win. She converted her third match point after Svitolina saved two while serving to stay in the match at 4-5.

In a post-match interview, Eala said she entered the match with a great mindset and was happy to maintain her rhythm despite Svitolina's aggressive play, particularly in the second set. The win improves Eala's record against top-10 opponents this year to 6-2, and 8-4 overall. With this result, she is projected to rise to a career-high ranking of No. 25 when the official WTA rankings are updated.

Her next opponent, Naomi Osaka, advanced with a three-set victory over Italy's...