Alexandra Eala collapsed to the ground in tears as the umpire called the winning point, knowing her country had been with her for every step of the tournament. She overcame weather delays and the loss of the first set to defeat world number three Jessica Pegula in the Washington Open final, becoming the first Filipina to win a WTA title.

"To the Filipino community, here in DC and back home, wherever you are in the world. I really feel all the love," Eala said.

Even Pegula was impressed by the turnout on Monday, for the continuation of Sunday's final. "I can definitely confirm this is the best Monday final crowd I've seen," the American said. "I'm sure some people took off work. I won't tell them where you guys were."

Former world number one Rafael Nadal, whose academy Eala graduated from, congratulated her on the win, writing on X: "A well-deserved title for all the hard work."

Despite only being 21 years old, this has been a long time coming for Eala. She first started playing at the age of four, going on to join Nadal's tennis academy. After defeating third seed Naomi Osaka, Pegula described the world number 20 as "the future of the tour."