ALEX Eala already had two WTA trophies in her collection before Washington, so why is her DC Open triumph considered her first title on the WTA Tour?
The distinction lies in the level of the tournament.
Eala's previous championships in Guadalajara in 2025 and Birmingham earlier this year came on the WTA 125 circuit, a tier below the main WTA Tour that serves as a pathway for rising players looking to climb the rankings.
READ What Alex Eala gained after her maiden WTA Tour title at DC Open
Actually, it is the women's tour's equivalent of the ATP Challenger Tour for men.
The Mubadala DC Open, however, is a WTA 500 event, meaning Monday morning's triumph over Jess Pegula in Washington gave Eala her first tour-level title.
WTA hierarchy
The main WTA Tour is made up of WTA 250, WTA 500, WTA 1000 tournaments and the four Grand Slams.
Only the Grand Slams and the 10 WTA 1000 events rank above a WTA 500 in terms of prestige, prize money, and ranking points.
That makes Washington one of just 17 WTA 500 tournaments on this year's calendar, placing Eala among the winners of the tour's biggest regular events.
The achievement became even more impressive considering the road she took to the trophy. Eala had to beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, defending champion Leylah Fernandez, second seed Elina Svitolina, former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, and top seed and world No. 3 Jessica Pegula in a rain-delayed final.
The title also comes with 500 ranking points, enough to propel the Filipina into the WTA Top 20 for the first time in her career.
"I'm over the moon, super happy, taking it all in right now," Eala said of the feat. "Just pure happiness."
Washington was only the first stop. Eala now takes the momentum from her biggest title yet into the North American hard-court swing, with second stop at the WTA 1000 National Bank Open in Canada awaiting on August 6 ahead season's final Grand Slam, the US Open.
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