MANILA, Philippines — Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala ousted former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, 6-4, 6-2, to reach her first 500 WTA Tour final at the Mubadala D.C. Open at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center Stadium Court in Washington early Sunday morning in Manila.
Eala racked up three straight games including a service hold to finish off the 4-time major champ Osaka and reach the finale, where she faces Jessica Pegula in a rematch.
The lefty netter fell to Pegula in her breakout tournament at the 1000 Miami Open semifinal last year, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3.
Jessica Pegula defeated Diana Shnaider in the other semis pairing, 7-5, 6-4
