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Jessica Pegula and Alex Eala will have to return to court on Monday afternoon after their Washington DC Open final at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center was suspended on Sunday due to lightning and heavy rain.

The showpiece match was due to get underway at 12:00 local time (16:00 GMT, 17:00 BST), but organisers confirmed hours before the start that “play will not resume before 2:45pm EST due to rain and lightning. Everyone on site should seek shelter immediately.”

The weather eventually cleared and players eventually made their way to the court nearly two hours before the original scheduled start time.

World No 3 and top seed Pegula edged the opening set as, after the pair traded breaks midway during the set, the American broke for a second time in game nine and then served it out to love.

They were still on serve in the second set with the score 6-4, 1-2 when it started raining with the initial resumption time set for 5:30pm EST.

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Play was initially scheduled to resume at 7:00pm and it was confirmed just after 9:00pm that there would be no further action on Sunday with the men’s final between Taylor Fritz and Rafael Jodar also pushed to Monday.

“Matches have been cancelled for tonight,” a message on social media read. “The women’s singles final will now take place at 12:00pm tomorrow.

“The men’s singles final will take place not before 1:00pm tomorrow. Ticketing information to come soon.”

Monday’s Play Time

If the weather is good, then the women’s final will now resume at 12:00pm (16:00 GMT, 17:00 BST) with the men’s final scheduled to start an hour later at 1:00pm (17:00 GMT, 18:00 BST)

Weather Forecast

According to Accuweather, “cloudy and very humid conditions with showers and a heavy thunderstorm” are expected on Monday.

Temperatures are expected to reach a high of 31 degrees Celsius and no rain is expected between 11:00am and 1:00pm local time with the temperatures set to range between 27 and 29 degrees.

What They Said

The pair will meet for a second time following their semi-final clash at the 2025 Miami Open which was won by Pegula.

Pegula on Eala: “I mean, I think her serve has gotten a little bit better since when I last played her. I know it’s something she’s working on, of course.

“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.

“I mean, [Adrian] Mannarino, I feel like he just kind of like throws it in there. He can still hit his serve, but throws it in there. I’m not sure if a person that’s right-handed would be able to get away with it that much. So I do think they can use that to their advantage.

“I think with her, 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.”

Eala on Pegula: “I think Jesse is a really good player. I mean, not I think. She is a really good player. I think she hits quite a flat ball, makes the opponent uncomfortable, or at least I felt uncomfortable last time.

“I think I did a good job in certain points last year of, like, holding my ground. Like I won the second set.

“But, yeah, I think there will definitely be a certain set of challenges. You know, she is where she is for a reason, so I’m going to try to face it head on and do what I can.”

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Eight players on the WTA side and eight players on the ATP side won’t feature at the 2026 Canadian Open as they are either out injured or opted not to compete at the joint ATP-WTA 1000 tournament.

The Canadian Open marks the first event of the North American hard-court swing triple-header as it will be followed by the Cincinnati Open in Mason from 13-23 August and the US Open in New York with the season-ending Grand Slam getting underway on 30 August.

The first-round matches get underway on Sunday, 2 August with the women’s tournament taking place at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, while the men are competing at the IGA Stadium in Montreal.

But the tournament has struggled to get the top players, especially on the ATP Tour, to compete in recent years as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic missed the 2025 edition and the trio will again be absent this year.

Alcaraz, of course, is still not fully recovered from the wrist injury he sustained at the Barcelona Open in April, but he is expected to return at Cincinnati.

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But Sinner and Djokovic have decided not to compete in Montreal as they wanted an extended break after Wimbledon.

The trio were all due to be seeded in the top 10 and they are joined on the seeded withdrawal list by Alexander Bublik (11) and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (No 25) with Zizou Bergs and Raphael Collignon getting the nod for the final two seeding spots.

ATP Canadian Open withdrawal list

• Jannik Sinner replaced by Valentin Royer
• Carlos Alcaraz replaced by Jan-Lennard Struff
• Novak Djokovic replaced by Marton Fucsovics
• Alexander Bublik replaced by Rinky Hijikata
• Alejandro Davidovich Fokina replaced by Jenson Brooksby
• Ethan Quinn replaced by Daniel Merida
• Tomas Machac replaced by James Duckworth
• Sebastian Korda replaced by Luca Van Assche

American Ethan Quinn has become the latest men’s player to withdraw as the world No 46 is struggling with a metatarsal injury in his right foot.

WTA Canadian Open withdrawal list

The tournament, though, suffered the biggest blow on the women’s side as home favourite and defending champion Victoria Mboko was ruled out due to a knee injury she sustained at the Queen’s Club Championship.

The Canadian, who won the title on her debut 12 months ago, was due to be seeded 12th while 2026 Wimbledon runner-up and world No 6 Karolina Muchova will also be absent as she underwent a small operation a fortnight ago.

World No 15 Italy Jasmine Paolini is still recovering from a foot injury No 32 Hailey Baptiste is still recovering after picking up a serious knee injury at the French Open.

• Karolina Muchova replaced by Taylor Townsend
• Victoria Mboko replaced by Karolina Pliskova
• Jasmine Paolini replaced by Tamara Korpatsch
• Hailey Baptiste replaced by Anna Bondar
• Emma Raducanu replaced by Eva Lys
• Dayana Yastremska replaced by Renata Zarazua
• Laura Siegemund replaced by Wang Xiyu
• Petra Marcinko replaced by Alycia Parks

Although four seeded players are absent from the women’s tournament, none of the big-name players has opted to skip the event as world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka leads the field with No 2 Elena Rybakina, No 3 Jessica Pegula, No 4 Coco Gauff, No 5 Mirra Andreeva, No 7 Linda Noskova, No 8 Iga Swiatek, No 9 Amanda Anisimova and No 10 Elina Svitolina all competing.

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Roger Federer’s former coach has heaped praise on Alex Eala after she extended her impressive run at the Washington Open.

The Filipina reached her maiden WTA 500 final by dominating four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 in just one hour and 16 minutes.

Eala and Osaka exchanged breaks early in the opening set, but it was the Filipina who looked far more assured on serve, not facing another break point for the remainder of the match.

The 21-year-old will next face American Jessica Pegula, who rallied from 5-2 down in the opening set to defeat Diana Shnaider 7-5, 6-4 in the other semi-final.

Pegula has now reached the 24th final of her career, with four of those coming this season.

The victory over world No 13 Osaka represents another impressive result for Eala, who has now defeated six Top 10 players during the 2026 season.

Paul Annacone, who coached Roger Federer from 2010 to 2013, did not hold back in his praise of the Filipina during a Tennis Channel segment following her semi-final victory.

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“This is amazing,” began Annacone.

“This is such a great journey to watch, because she had a springboard on to the Tour and she has done such a terrific job of getting comfortable with new sets of expectations in front of her.

“We’ve talked a lot about the fanbase and the people that follow her, whether she likes it or not she’s living life in a fishbowl right now, so how clearly can you go out and play with all those expectations?

“For me to watch someone with those kind of skills and to be able to use them against the best players, the most powerful plays is really incredible. Because she played Osaka in a way that is really difficult to do.

“Naomi is one of the biggest hitters on tour, she said you know what she’s great at doing that but I’m still going to stand up on the baseline. Every second serve I get, I’m going to take early, I’m going to redirect, I’m going to steal her time.

“She committed to who she is as a player, who she is as a person and that won her that match. That clarity of how she needed to play was better than the power that Osaka could bring.

“Now can she do it to the next level? I don’t know.

“That’s why I asked Andrea earlier in the match, it’s very interesting because she is vulnerable on her serve, but how many players are going to be able to overcome her leftiness to do something a little bit different to take advantage of the slower speeds and steal the time and get it back on her quickly.

“Because if you don’t, she just gets back on the baseline and runs you like a yo-yo.”

The victory guarantees Eala a new career-high ranking of world No 24, four places above her previous best.

Just 18 months ago, the young Filipina was ranked outside the world’s top 150. Her rapid rise has been one of the standout stories on the WTA Tour, and there are few signs that her remarkable momentum is slowing as the North American hard-court swing continues.

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Alex Eala is the first to acknowledge that her serve “can be uncomfortable”, but she insists it is still a work in progress as she brushed off concerns that it is “holding her back”.

The Filipina continues her stunning rise in tennis as she has reached her first WTA 500 final at the Washington DC Open after beating Zheng Qinwen, Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina and Naomi Osaka.

Despite her supposedly weak serve, Eala has dropped only one set during the tournament and that was in her first match against former world No 4 Zheng as she lost the opening set before winning the next 10.

She was broken only once by Osaka in the semi-final while she broke twice in both sets and generally had the upper hand when it came to serving, as her first-serve percentage was at 59.6% compared to the Japanese star’s 54.2%.

Eala also won 71.4% of first-serve points with Osaka on 59.4% while she dominated the second-serve points won with 78.9% against 48.1%, dropping only four points on her second serve over the two sets.

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Not bad for someone whose serve came under fire earlier in the week when former world No 1 Rennae Stubbs raised concerns over it.

“Eala’s serve will never win her a Grand Slam,” the four-time women’s doubles Grand Slam winner said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast. “I know people could say the same about Angie Kerber, but I feel that’s what’s holding Eala back.

“I think it’s also what’s holding Jessica Pegula back. Pegula’s second serve is very vulnerable against players who hit the ball hard. I still hope she can win a Grand Slam, but right now I simply don’t see it happening.”

Eala was asked about her serve after her win one-hour and 16-minute win over Osaka and knows there is work to do, but feels it allows her to use her other weapons.

“I think that my serve can be uncomfortable. I think I try to play around a lot with variety,” Eala said in her post-match press conference.

“Of course, it would be great if I had a serve that went 200 kilometres per hour. I’d love that also, but it’s a process. Who knows? I’m not going to put a cap on my serve. Maybe I will one day serve 200. You never know (smiling).

“I like to look at it as a multi-dimensional thing. I have a variety of weapons in my bag. I think it’s also a good thing that I don’t rely on my serve alone, although I’m standing by that it’s dependable sometimes.”

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Serena Williams’ former coach believes Victoria Mboko has the ‘skill’ to win a Grand Slam title one day, but argues that rival Alex Eala’s game will ‘never’ allow her to achieve the same feat without major improvements.

Over the past 12 months, Mboko and Eala have emerged as two of the brightest young stars on the WTA Tour, with both enjoying breakthrough campaigns that have propelled them up the rankings.

The Canadian captured her maiden WTA 1000 title in Montreal last season, while the Filipina has arguably been the more consistent performer this year, compiling six victories over Top 10 opponents.

Just three weeks ago, Eala became the first player from the Philippines to reach the second week of a Grand Slam after advancing to the last 16 at Wimbledon.

Mboko recently partnered Serena Williams in the women’s doubles event at Queen’s Club, marking the American legend’s return to professional tennis. However, the Canadian suffered a medial collateral ligament injury in her left knee during the singles competition.

The injury forced Mboko to retire from the tournament before withdrawing from Wimbledon, the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open. She has also opted to miss the season’s final Grand Slam, the US Open.

Most significantly, Mboko is set to lose the 1,000 ranking points she earned by winning the Canadian Open in 2025, where she defeated four Grand Slam champions during an extraordinary title run.

Rennae Stubbs, who coached Williams during her final US Open in 2022 and has also worked alongside her during her recent comeback, weighed in on the long-term prospects of both rising stars.

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“Eala’s serve will never win her a Grand Slam,” Stubbs said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

“I know people could say the same about Angie Kerber, but I feel that’s what’s holding Eala back.

“I think it’s also what’s holding Jessica Pegula back. Pegula’s second serve is very vulnerable against players who hit the ball hard. I still hope she can win a Grand Slam, but right now I simply don’t see it happening.

“Once Victoria Mboko recovers from her injury, I believe she has the skill, the audacity and the confidence needed to win one. She doesn’t get nervous – she just goes for it. There are still many parts of her game she can improve, especially her serve, and technically her forehand can get even better.

“But it’s her confidence that makes me believe in her.

“Hopefully, once she recovers from this knee injury, she can win a Grand Slam over the next few years.”

Eala and Mboko have faced each other twice, including once on the ITF junior circuit.

Their first meeting came at the 2022 US Open girls’ tournament, where Eala claimed a 6-1, 7-6(5) victory to reach the quarter-finals.

Mboko gained revenge last season at the Hong Kong Open, recovering from a set down to defeat the Filipina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the pair’s first meeting on the WTA Tour.

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Jessica Pegula has made the bold claim that ‘no other sport’ would tolerate what tennis players have come to accept regarding the supposedly declining quality of tennis balls.

The American has reached the final of the WTA 500 event in Washington, where she will next face the winner of the match between Alex Eala and Naomi Osaka.

Pegula has enjoyed another remarkably consistent season, reaching the quarter-finals or better at eight tournaments, including four of the last five WTA 1000 events.

Despite a surprise first-round exit to Kimberly Birrell at the French Open, she reached her maiden Wimbledon quarter-final before being edged out by compatriot Coco Gauff.

Pegula is currently ranked world No 3 and has the opportunity to extend her lead over fourth-ranked Gauff if she goes on to win the Washington title, having only third-round points to defend at the two upcoming North American WTA 1000 events.

She is also defending a semi-final showing at the US Open, which takes place from August 30 to September 13.

Despite her impressive form, Pegula used part of her post-match press conference to voice her frustrations over the quality and consistency of tennis balls.

“We’ve talked a lot about these freaking tennis balls, till the cows come home, oh my gosh,” she began.

“It’s just hard, because you learn a lot about it.

“Like, there’s different manufacturers. So, obviously, different countries, so different tournaments get the same ball, but it’s from a different place that makes them so it feels different.

“I think the surface of the court, and does it fit with the ball? Like, sometimes the balls are okay, but you put it on a gritty court, and they get really chewed up.

“The weather: sometimes it’s really hot and humid, sometimes it’s cooler, so that dictates whether they fly or they don’t fly. Like, there are so many variables.

“And even day to day, how they change from it being, like, maybe cooler today, but hot the other day.

“And so it’s kind of like an impossible thing to solve.”

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Different tournaments use different brands of tennis balls. For example, Dunlop balls are used at the Australian Open, Wilson at the French Open and the US Open, and Slazenger at Wimbledon.

Pegula’s comments echo concerns raised by several ATP players, including Daniil Medvedev, who has repeatedly criticised the lack of consistency between tournaments.

Speaking at this year’s Rotterdam Open, the former US Open champion said: “The problem is when you touch it with the racket, it does not react the same way on your shots, so how do you want us to play tennis?”

Pegula concluded that the constant changes in tennis balls have a significant impact on players.

“I think where you get frustrated is where you’re constantly changing, and I know at one point, the men were playing with, like, three different balls in three weeks. Like, that’s crazy. Like, you ask any other sport to kind of deal with that, and they’re like, Are you joking? Like, that wouldn’t happen.

“So it sounds silly, but it does make a big difference.”

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Alexander Zverev says that Rafael Nadal’s recent advice during his training at the Spaniard’s academy has been a ‘great help’ as he begins his North American hard-court swing.

The German has enjoyed a landmark 2026 season, with the highlight being the capture of his maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open.

Zverev defeated Flavio Cobolli in five sets to end his run of three consecutive defeats in Grand Slam finals.

Just a few weeks later, the newly crowned Paris champion looked like a different player on the grass courts of Wimbledon.

He dropped just two sets en route to the final, having never previously reached the last eight at the event, and displayed a remarkable combination of aggression and precision.

Despite losing to Jannik Sinner in four sets, Zverev has leapfrogged Carlos Alcaraz in the rankings to rise to world No 2 for the first time since March 2025.

The German will now turn his attention to the season’s final Grand Slam, the US Open, which takes place from August 30 to September 13.

After taking a few weeks to rest, Zverev travelled to Mallorca to practise at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where he has been closely watched by Toni Nadal and the 22-time Grand Slam champion himself.

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“It has been a good year. Of course, the year is not over, and we’re going to the North American Swing and two Masters and a Grand Slam coming up, which is very important,” stated the world No 2 during a video on the academy’s social media.

“Of course, I’m here [at the Rafael Nadal Academy] to prepare for that, and hopefully I’ll show my best there as well.

“I love Mallorca in general, so it’s just a great island to be in, I think, in the summer, especially with great preparation.

“You have a lot of heat here, which you will need in America as well. And the facilities are incredible. I think it’s quite obviously one of the best academies in the world.

“But you can also have privacy here, which is very nice for me and I enjoy coming back here.

“It’s great. Uncle Toni is on the court quite a lot with us. Rafa also came twice.

“It’s great to hear what their opinion is about my game. I think I’ve been playing against Rafa for 10 years, so it’s nice to hear from him from a competitive standpoint, but also what he thinks I can improve in my game, and I still want to improve every single day.

“I think it was a great help to have him on the court.”

Zverev has been remarkably consistent at the US Open, reaching the quarter-finals or better in four of his last five appearances.

In 2020, he led by two sets and a break against Dominic Thiem in the final before being edged out in a fifth-set tiebreak.

Twelve months ago, the German suffered his earliest exit at the tournament in seven years, losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round.

Before the US Open, Zverev will compete at the National Bank Open in Canada (August 2–13) and the Cincinnati Open (August 13–23), with both tournaments being Masters 1000 events.

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Jannik Sinner’s schedule for the remainder of the 2026 season is starting to take shape with the world No 1 confirmed for at least one event during the Asian hard-court campaign.

The five-time Grand Slam winner has played only nine tournaments so far in 2026 and that tally includes three Grand Slams, five ATP Masters 1000 events and one ATP 500 tournament.

Sinner has won six of the nine tournaments he entered as he successfully defended his Wimbledon crown and also won the first five Masters titles.

But he won’t make it six in a row as he has opted to skip next week’s Canadian Open in Montreal, but he will return in the United States as he has entered the Cincinnati Open.

The North American swing will then come to a conclusion with the US Open running from 30 August until 13 September in New York.

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And while a host of the world’s best players will compete at the Laver Cup from 25-27 September in London after the season-ending Grand Slam, Sinner will once again skip the team event.

The Italian will only make his return to competitive action at the China Open with the ATP 500 event getting underway on 28 September in Beijing.

The 24-year-old will make his fourth appearance at the tournament as he reached the final on his previous two visits, winning the title in 2023 and 2025, while he finished runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in 2025.

“Winning this tournament in 2023 and 2025 was fantastic and created a special bond with this event; these are unforgettable moments for me and my team,” Sinner said about his return to Beijing.

“I’m really happy to be back this year for a special edition celebrating the tournament’s twentieth anniversary: ​​a huge milestone. I’ll try to give it my all and aim to have another great week.”

What’s To Come After That?

With Sinner travelling to Asia for the ATP 500 event, it does suggest he will also play at the Shanghai Masters with the ATP 1000 tournament starting the following week.

The Italian won the Shanghai Masters in 2025, beating Novak Djokovic in the final, but was forced to retire during his third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor last year due to severe cramping.

The ATP Tour will then move back to Europe for the indoor hard-court swing and Sinner is expected to defend his Vienna Open title in Austria in late October while it remains to be seen if he will play at the Paris Masters.

But there is no doubt he will return to Turin in November as he looks to win a third ATP Finals title in a row.

Of course, there is also the small matter of the Six Kings Slam with the exhibition event squeezed in between the Shanghai Masters and the European swing as it will take place from 21-24 October in Riyadh.

Sinner won the first two editions and he will be competing with Alcaraz, Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur for a first prize of $6 million.

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Naomi Osaka is about to get her first experience of the Alex Eala buzz that has taken over tennis as she will face the Filipina in the semi-final of the Washington DC Open.

Rising star Eala and her army of Filipino fans are the talk of the tennis world as the 21-year-old is delivering on court while her supporters are adding a party-like atmosphere to all her matches.

The Washington DC Open is the latest tournament on the WTA Tour to experience the Eala effect with ticket sales increasing following her addition to the line-up.

And Eala has backed up her status as one of the most exciting players on the tour as she has reached the last four of the Mubadala DC Open with a stunning two-set win over third seed Elina Svitolina.

Up next is four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka in what will be their first career meeting and the former world No 1 is excited.

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“I’ve never played Alex before, but obviously I’ve seen some of her matches,” she said. “She’s had an incredible year so far. Honestly, playing her would be really fun for me, just to get that knowledge about how she is.”

The Japanese star added: “I remember watching one of her matches last year at the US Open, and it was kind of mind-blowing. I didn’t think tennis could have an atmosphere like that. It almost felt more like a basketball game.

“I’ve kind of routinely wanted to check in on her — not personally — but just to keep following her story and see how she’s growing.”

It is hard to believe that Eala only really made her breakthrough in March last year when she reached the semi-final of the Miami Open before going on to make her Grand Slam debut at the French Open.

Later in the year, she became the first Filipina to win a Grand Slam main draw singles match with her success at the US Open and eventually broke into the top 50 of the WTA Rankings.

Now she sits at No 25 in the Live Rankings and could move up further if she gets past Osaka, but the 21-year-old is not counting her chickens.

“I’m super excited. I hope it lives up to the expectations,” the Filipina said. “I’m definitely going to do everything I can and leave it all on court, like always. Of course, Naomi is an amazing player, so it’s going to be a tough match for me.”

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Alex Eala continued her incredible run at the Washington DC Open as she took out second seed Elina Svitolina, beating the former world No 3 in straight sets to secure a new high ranking.

The 21-year-old Eala started her campaign in DC with a come-from-behind win over 2024 Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen and followed it up with a two-set win over defending champion and seventh seed Leylah Fernandez.

In a repeat of their quarter-final match on the grass at this year’s Berlin Open, which the Filipina won 6-3, 6-4, the score and result were the same on the hard courts in North America as the youngster won by the same scoreline.

“She’s such an accomplished player, and I think she’s made waves on and off the tennis court for so many reasons,” the Filipina said during her on-court interview. “There’s so much respect for her for that, and you know I’m really excited.

“I haven’t had much time to think about it, but I will definitely think about it after I get off court.”

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The match started with five consecutive breaks with Eala edging it 3-2 before she wrapped up the set with a fourth break in game nine.

The world No 28 made a poor start to the second set as she was broken to love in the opening game, but she drew level on serve in game six and then secured the win in game 10 on her third match point with a second break.

With the win, Eala secured her sixth win over a top-10 player in 2026 while she has now reached three semi-finals this year.

WTA Rankings Boost

Eala secured a new career-high of No 28 after her run to the last 16 at Wimbledon in July and she is now set to hit an even higher spot with her run to the last four of the WTA 500 event.

She has added 135 points to her tally and that is good enough for a three-place jump in the Live Rankings to No 25 and she could move up another place if she wins her next match.

But that won’t be easy as she takes on former world No 1 Naomi Osaka – who beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto in three sets – in what will be a first career meeting between the pair.

“I’m super excited. I hope it lives up to the expectations,” Eala said. “I’m definitely going to do everything I can and leave it all on court, like always. Of course, Naomi is an amazing player, so it’s going to be a tough match for me.”

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