Defending champion Leylah Fernandez said she was not at her best Wednesday in a 6-2, 7-6 loss to Alex Eala in the second round of the Mubadala DC Open, pointing to early mistakes and a slow start that allowed the match to slip away.
“I don’t think Alex did much different from Germany to here,” Fernandez told TOFA News when asked what Eala did differently from their first meeting in Germany and what the loss could teach her moving forward.
“For myself, I just didn’t play good. I mean, the first 12 points I’m pretty sure I just won one or two points. I missed everything, pushed the ball. So it was definitely not my best tennis today, but I try to keep positive.”
Eala took control early and won the opening set 6-2 before Fernandez made a strong push in the second, racing to a 5-1 lead. But the momentum shifted again as Fernandez said she began to overpress and drift back into the mistakes that hurt her in the first set.
“At 5-1 I guess I wanted it too much and started reverting back to how I played in the first set,” Fernandez said. “That obviously didn’t help, and started making more mistakes, forcing some errors.”
Eala, who lost their first meeting in Germany, again showed her ability to stay in the match when behind. Fernandez said the biggest difference this time was Eala’s composure and belief.
“I think Alex, what she did well is that she hung in there,” Fernandez said. “She trusted her game. So what I needed to do better, what I need to learn is to start from the match with that high focus and not give away 12 points so easily and be down 3-love in the span of five minutes.”
The match was played in hot, humid Washington conditions, with both players visibly sweating throughout. Eala also appeared to be dealing with discomfort, wearing a visible patch on her arm during the match.
The crowd added to the atmosphere, with Filipino fans chanting “Let’s go, Alex!” and SB19’s “Gento” playing between breaks.
Despite the disappointment, Fernandez said she remains focused on resetting and reviewing the match with her team.
“I love to analyze all my matches, wins or losses,” she said. “We have objectives of what we want to work on for the next training sessions and, you know, see what we can improve on for the next tournaments.”
Fernandez, who previously beat Eala in Germany, said she will turn the page quickly as she prepares for the next stretch of the season, including Toronto.
