Pegula leads Eala as Washington Open finals moved to Monday due to rain

[p]After waiting through a three-hour thunderstorm delay to start, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pegula-jessica/KdojxrAR/"]Pegula[/a] won the first set [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/eala-a-ppu9X7PH/pegula-j-KdojxrAR/?mid=KKxml2cn"]6-4[/a], and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/eala-alexandra/ppu9X7PH/"]Eala[/a] led 2-1 in the second set of the championship match when rain returned.[/p][p]More than five hours passed with conditions remaining unplayable before organizers called off the resumption of play until Monday.[/p][embed guid="4ebeca5d-f6ce-4420-be9b-5efc209e8a2d" url="https://x.com/WTA/status/2084089052186214772?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Also postponed was the entire men's final at the WTA and ATP 500-level hardcourt tournament, with 10th-ranked American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fritz-taylor/UH09iaZ6/"]Taylor Fritz[/a] set to face 19-year-old Spaniard [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jodar-rafael/OdngshVK/"]Rafael Jodar[/a].[/p][p]The women's final will resume Monday at noon local time (1600 GMT) with the men's final not before 1 p.m. in Washington.[/p][p]Pegula, who won her first WTA title in 2019 at Washington, seeks her 12th tour trophy and third of the year after Dubai and Charleston.[/p][p]The 32-year-old American top seed defeated Eala in a 2025 Miami semi-final in their only prior meeting.[/p][embed guid="21ba0fe3-4f0c-4011-b499-3dd77b67132c" url="https://x.com/TennisChannel/status/2084042144822534595?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Philippines star Eala, cheered all week by a host of supporters, seeks her first WTA title in her second career final, having lost last year at Eastbourne.[/p][p]The 21-year-old left-hander is set to jump to a career-best 24th in the world rankings.[/p][p]Eala ousted former world number one [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/osaka-naomi/MDM4BKiA/"]Naomi Osaka[/a], second seed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/monfils-elina/jyngIesG/"]Elina Svitolina[/a] and defending champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandez-leylah-annie/8EI3pJOd/"]Leylah Fernandez[/a] to reach the final.[/p][p]Pegula broke Eala in the fifth game, blasting a forehand service return winner, only for Eala to break back at love to 3-3 on a blistering backhand service return winner.[/p][p]Pegula saved two break points in holding to 4-4, broke again when Eala sent a forehand long in the ninth game and held at love to capture the first set in 40 minutes when Eala hit a backhand beyond the baseline.[/p][p]Players were on serve and in a changeover when the rain returned.[/p][p]In 53 minutes before the stoppage, Pegula hit 14 winners to only four by Eala while both had 20 unforced errors.[/p][embed guid="a04220ff-6076-4259-8b36-16a4d2cbe8e2" url="https://x.com/TennisChannel/status/2084003238827696259?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]In the men's final, Fritz seeks an 11th career ATP title and his first since last year at Eastbourne.[/p][p]Jodar, assured of reaching a career-high 15th in next week's rankings, seeks his second ATP crown after winning at Morocco in April.[/p]