---
title: "Alexandra Eala stuns Elina Svitolina in Washington, D.C. to reach Mubadala DC Open semi-final; sets up Osaka clash"
sdDatePublished: "2026-08-01T13:11:00Z"
source: "https://www.olympics.com/en/news/alexandra-eala-elina-svitolina-semi-final-naomi-osaka-mubadala-dc-open-ben-shelton"
topics:
  - name: "tennis"
    identifier: "medtop:20001085"
  - name: "sport"
    identifier: "medtop:15000000"
locations:
  - "Berlin"
  - "United States"
  - "Philippines"
  - "Spain"
  - "Chile"
  - "Ukraine"
---


Alexandra Eala stuns Elina Svitolina in Washington, D.C. to reach Mubadala DC Open semi-final; sets up Osaka clash

Alexandra Eala stuns Elina Svitolina to set up semi-final with Naomi Osaka at Mubadala DC Open

Alexandra Eala stuns Elina Svitolina to set up Naomi Osaka semi-final at Mubadala DC Open

The rising Filipina star claims her sixth victory over a top-10 opponent this season, while Ben Shelton loses to Alejandro Tabilo in men’s quarter-finals in Washington, D.C.

Alexandra Eala stunned second seed Elina Svitolina to reach her first Mubadala DC Open semi-fina l – and set up a showdown with Naomi Osaka .

The Filipina tennis star produced a commanding display to triumph 6-3, 6-4 against Ukrainian world No. 10 Svitolina on Friday (31 July), receiving a standing ovation from the Washington, D.C. crowd.

It was Eala’s sixth victory over a top-10 player this season, and her fourth in a row, as she continued her fine recent form which has included a run to the last 16 of Wimbledon.

“I came in with a great mindset today,” said the 21-year-old, who beat Svitolina by the exact same scoreline on the grass in Berlin in June, in her on-court interview. “I think I played very well.”

Eala will now meet third seed Osaka, who came from a set down in her quarter-final against Elisabetta Cocciaretto to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

“I'm super excited,” added Eala about her upcoming Osaka clash. “I hope it lives up to the expectations.

“She’s such an accomplished player. I think she’s made waves on and off the tennis court for so many reasons. There’s so much respect for her for that.”

The other semi-final on Saturday (1 August) will be contested between top-ranked Jessica Pegula and fourth seed Diana Shnaider .

In the men’s draw, second seed Ben Shelton was surprisingly beaten in the quarter-finals by Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo , going down 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Tabilo will now meet Rafael Jódar of Spain in the semi-finals, while the other last-four tie will pit two home U.S. favourites against each other, Taylor Fritz and Brandon Nakashima .