The DC Open women's final in Washington has turned into a weather saga, with Jessica Pegula and Alexandra Eala unable to complete their title match on Sunday after severe thunderstorms struck the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center twice in the same day.
The match was already delayed nearly three hours before a ball was struck, with organisers warning everyone on site to seek shelter due to lightning. When play finally got underway, Pegula, the world No. 3 and top seed, delivered a composed performance in front of her home crowd. After both players traded breaks midway through the opening set, Pegula broke again in game nine and served it out to love, claiming the first set 6-4.
The second set was level at 1-2 when the skies opened again. What initially looked like a brief stoppage stretched dramatically, with an anticipated 7pm restart coming and going before organisers confirmed after 9pm that no further play would happen Sunday. The men's final between Taylor Fritz and Rafael Jodar was also pushed to Monday.
The women's final is now scheduled to resume at noon local time, with the men's match to follow no earlier than 1pm. However, Accuweather forecasts cloudy, humid conditions with potential thunderstorms again on Monday, though a window of drier weather is expected between 11am and 1pm, which gives organizers some cautious optimism.
Pegula acknowledged Eala's growing game ahead of the match, noting her serve has improved and pointing out the natural advantage left-handed players carry on tour. The two previously met in the 2025 Miami Open semi-finals, a match Pegula won.
TennisDraw users have been closely tracking this final, with Pegula among the most popular bracket picks to lift the trophy in Washington.
