American tennis player and world number three Jessica Pegula shared her thoughts on playing against Filipina superstar Alex Eala. The two faced each other earlier this week at the Mubadala DC Open where Alex won her first ever WTA-level title, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
Jessica and Alex are now tied in their head-to-head match-up at 1-1.
During the post-game interview of the Mubadala DC Open, the finalist commended Alex for the work that she’s done in the past year. From her Miami Open breakout, Alex has continued to soar higher in the world rankings–– going as high as number 20 following her win in Washington, DC.
“She’s a great ball striker, a great player, a great competitor. I think we’ve seen that over the last couple of years she had good results. I think this year, it seems like maybe she’s finding some more consistency with her results–– she’s beaten quite a few top players this year including myself,” she shared.
Jessica added how big the crowd was during the finals but it wasn’t something that affected her but rather she enjoyed it instead.
“The crowd today was really loud, honestly. Sometimes, I’m just so in my own world, I don’t even quite notice how crazy it is because I feel like my perception might be different than people sitting in the crowd but it was really nice to see a really big turnout today. For a Monday final, that was really nice to have even if it didn’t go my way. I think it was still a really great atmosphere,” she maintained.
“I’d rather play in an atmosphere like that than nobody so I don’t mind it really,” she added.
The American top-ranked player shared how mature Alex is for her age as she was able to keep her composure despite the rise of her popularity around the world.
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“I just think it’s so refreshing and nice to see how well she’s handled all of the fandom and stardom that’s come with her being from the Philippines and how they’ve really embraced her. It’s crazy how she deals with that every single week which just shows her maturity as a player and as a person,” she said.
“I have a lot of respect for her and I like her a lot. I think she’s a really nice girl and it’s cool to see what she’s brought to the women’s game. She’s great,” she continued.
Meanwhile, Jessica and Alex are heading to the National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada following their successful campaign in Washington, DC.