MANILA, Philippines — Widely regarded as the greatest shooter in NBA history, Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry reshaped the league—and basketball itself—with his elite long-range shooting.
Defenders weren't accustomed to picking up shooters several feet beyond the 3-point line until Curry began routinely burying deep 3-pointers, whether in set plays, transition, or isolation.
As the engine of Golden State's pace-and-space offense, Curry forced opposing teams to extend their defenses well beyond the arc, acknowledging that what was once considered a low-percentage shot turned into one of basketball's most lethal weapons.
In a similar way, albeit in a different sport and with a small sample size, Alex Eala's slow serve is beginning to force opponents to adjust as the Filipino sensation appears to be turning her weakness into a weapon worthy of special preparation.
World No. 3 Jessica Pegula did prepare for that slow yet tricky serve in her final against Eala at the WTA 500 Mubadala D.C. Open in Washington on Monday.
A video of Pegula asking her hitting partner to hit slower serves went viral on X.
Eala averages 92-98 mph on her first serve and 65-75mph on her second. In comparison, the WTA average on first serves is 100–105 mph and 85–90 mph on second.
Pegula's preparation wasn't enough as Eala went on to defeat her 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the rain-delayed final on Tuesday, wresting her first Tour-level title.
Eala dominated Pegula in service points won with 70 percent success (49-of-70) against the latter's 56 percent (40-of-71), and in service games won 85 percent (11-of-13) against the American's 62 percent (8-of-13).
Before their final, Pegula explained why Eala's serve was hard to return. She said it helped that Eala's a lefty.
"One, I think it helps that she's a lefty. I think lefties are definitely — no offense to lefties, but they can get away with a little bit more, because we're just not used to seeing the ball come that direction as often, and I think you see that with a lot of different lefties on tour," said Pegula.
"It stays so low. It's hard to attack. I think if you put her — it would be interesting if she plays mixed doubles. I don't think guys are going to like returning her serve. There's no space to actually do anything with it. Sometimes you feel like you're just starting the point."
Pegula recalled how Eala's serve actually created hesitation on her part in their Miami Open semifinal encounter last year.
"I remember in Miami, I just didn't know, should I go for it more, because then I feel like I'm possibly giving her free points off of that serve, or do I kind of just start the point? You really have to use your legs and kind of get up and trust it.
"That's why it can be so tricky. It stays low, especially on more of a hard court, which I think she's probably better on a hard court or grass court where it's very hard to attack. I mean, the ball is kind of below the net, and you're having to hit up on the ball. Any time you have to do that, it can be really tricky."
Eala's slow serve also created problems at Wimbledon last month, so much so that it threw the defending champion Iga Swiatek's game off in their third round encounter, which the Filipino won, 7-6(9), 6-2.
"I got to say it’s much tougher to return a serve like that than a normal serve. I know it was slow. I know exactly how it’s going to come to me. It’s such a different rhythm than what I usually have a chance to return. I felt like she was serving slower and slower, and it became tougher and tougher for me to return these serves."
Swiatek conceded that Eala's slow serve warrants special preparation.
"Even though maybe the top players play super fast and serve fast, you also need to be ready for this kind of rhythm. She served slow. You need to step in. The court becomes short suddenly. If I want to put my topspin, I feel like I need to really play short."
