Svitolina loses to Eala in Washington WTA 500 quarterfinal
Elina Svitolina was beaten 3-6, 4-6 by Aleksandra Eala in the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 event in Washington, with the Philippine No. 1 advancing to face Naomi Osaka. The Ukrainian, who had been favored by bookmakers, failed to convert enough break points and suffered her second loss in their head-to-head series.
Ukraine's top tennis player Elina Svitolina (No. 10) was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 tournament in Washington, losing 3-6, 4-6 to Aleksandra Eala (No. 28), the highest-ranked player from the Philippines. The 31-year-old Ukrainian entered the match as the bookmakers' favorite, with odds of 1.64 for her victory.
According to match statistics, Svitolina won more points behind her second serve (38% vs 25%) but trailed in points won behind her first serve (55% vs 71%) and in total points (64 to 71). She also converted fewer break opportunities, taking 3 of 9 while Eala converted 6 of 16. The aces and double faults count stood at 4-5 for Svitolina and 1-2 for Eala.
This was Eala's second consecutive win over Svitolina in their head-to-head meetings. Svitolina was taking part in this tournament for the second time, having also reached the quarterfinals in 2023.
In the semifinals, Eala will face former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka of Japan, who is currently ranked 13th. The other semifinal spot belongs to Jessica Pegula (No. 3), the leading American player.
