Eala into first Washington semi-final, sets up meeting with Osaka

Alexandra Eala beat No. 2 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-3, 6-4 on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the Mubadala DC Open for the first time. The 21-year-old Filipino, ranked No. 28, will face No. 3 seed Naomi Osaka of Japan next.

The win was Eala’s sixth over a top-10 player this season and her fourth in a row against top-10 opposition, continuing a rise in form she has sustained since the grass-court swing.

It is her third semi-final of 2026. She reached the last four by beating defending champion and No. 7 seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada 6-2, 7-6 (1) and China’s Qinwen Zheng 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the previous rounds. Svitolina, ranked No. 10, had advanced by beating Uzbekistan’s Polina Kudermetova 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Asked about facing Osaka, Eala reflected on the Japanese star’s standing in the sport and among her own fanbase. “She’s, of course, such an accomplished player,” Eala said. “I think she’s made waves on and off the tennis court for so many reasons. There’s so much respect for her for that.”