Filipina tennis star Alex Eala showed nerves of steel after dethroning Mubadala DC Open defending champion Leylah Fernandez in a 6-2, 7-6(1) decision in the round of 16 match early Thursday (Philippine time).

This is Eala’s second time in 2026 to oust the reigning titlist of the tournament that she played against, after she defeated 2025 Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek. 

The 21-year-old Filipina is now en route to the quarterfinals where she will be facing either world no. 10 and second seed Elina Svitolina or qualifier Polima Kudermetova. 

After a dominant performance in the first set, Eala slightly faced a setback in the next after Fernandez mounted a 5-1 advantage. 
Eala being Eala, she displayed composure and resilience as she erased the deficit and fought tooth-and-nail for a six-all deadlock, sending the match to a tiebreak. 

From then on, Eala made sure that she held the momentum and surged to a 7-1 decision in the tiebreaker.