Severe weather in Washington forced the suspension of the Mubadala DC Open final between Jessica Pegula and Alexandra Eala, with play set to resume Monday. Pegula, ranked World No. 3, led Eala, then ranked No. 28, 6-4, 1-2 when play stopped in the second set. Organisers said the players would return at 12 p.m. local time, with Pegula serving when play resumed.
The final, originally scheduled for Sunday at noon, was disrupted by scattered thunderstorms. The start was delayed by three hours, and play began at around 3 p.m. Further rain during the second set caused another stoppage at 3:57 p.m. Persistent rain prevented a restart. Officials announced the postponement at 9:06 p.m.
When play resumed Monday, Eala overturned Pegula’s lead to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. The rain-delayed victory made Eala the first Filipino player to win a WTA Tour singles title. She took the deciding set without dropping a game, completing a comeback against the top seed and turning the interrupted final into a career key stage.
Before the suspension, Eala was seeking her first WTA Tour singles championship. Pegula was pursuing her second Washington title, after winning in 2019, and her 12th career title overall. International viewers were scheduled to see the resumed match at 5 p.m. British Summer Time and 6 p.m. Central European Summer Time. In the Philippines, coverage was set for midnight on August 4 in Philippine Standard Time.
The repeated interruptions showed how summer storms can disrupt outdoor tennis schedules. The National Weather Service’s Washington-area climate records, which include precipitation and temperature observations alongside wind data, date back to 1871 at Washington National. The Mubadala DC Open is a basic stop on the WTA calendar ahead of the North American hard-court swing and the US Open. In this final, the weather delay postponed the conclusion, but the match was completed.
