MUBADALA DC OPEN

July 31, 2026

Alexandra Eala

Press Conference

A. EALA/E. Svitolina

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Alex, congrats. Just your thoughts on the match tonight.

ALEXANDRA EALA: I'm super happy. Thanks for waiting, guys (laughing). Yeah, hard-fought win, and really excited to play again tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I guess talking about tomorrow, obviously Naomi will be a big matchup, not just for you and her, but in terms of the crowd aspect, two great fan bases. I'm curious, when you were kind of growing up, I think you were probably a teenager when Naomi first had her breakout on tour. How much were you following her back then when she had the first Grand Slam wins way back?

ALEXANDRA EALA: Yeah, hard to miss her (laughing) a couple of years back. She achieved so much. Of course, very powerful player. I think a lot of people would watch her finals and, of course, her rise.

So really excited to be playing her tomorrow. Going to be a tough match. Yeah, hope I can bring my best.

Q. Just what is your confidence level going into a match like tonight, to start with, against Svitolina, who you have beaten before, and you've had wins in these sorts of stages in these tournaments before? I guess how does that confidence transfer going into the next match as well against Naomi?

ALEXANDRA EALA: I mean, you know, these matches definitely give you a lot of confidence in the bag, but I think it helps with the mindset going in definitely. But at this level, you know, confidence only does so much. I think there's so many different aspects, especially when you're playing players of this caliber.

So, yeah, I'm happy with this match. I think it will make me feel a little bit better going into tomorrow's match, so yeah.

Q. You've talked all week about your ability to dig deep and battle back when you're in a tough spot. When you're facing someone like Elina tonight or Naomi tomorrow, do you feel like you almost need to elevate that level of resilience when you are playing that caliber of opponent, or does your mindset not really change at all in that aspect?

ALEXANDRA EALA: Well, I think when you're playing higher caliber opponents, you definitely have to step up at one point, right?

I think, you know, people like Elina, who is top 10, or people like Naomi who have won so many slams and former World No. 1, they do have that experience of just kind of hanging at that level, and the average level of tennis that they put out is very high maybe compared to other players or the rest of the pack. Not to say that the rest of the pack isn't able to produce that kind of tennis either.

So that being said, I think you just kind of have to be ready for anything. You never know. Maybe you need to dig deeper when your tennis isn't going as well. You know, if you have a bad day, maybe you have to dig deeper than a day that everything is going well for you.

Q. Kind of on that same line of thought, sometimes a lot of tennis players, if you get in an adverse situation, you'll see them on the court, like visibly their countenance will be down and be disappointed, but then they'll find a way to rally. You seem to project a very even-keel level for someone who is so young into the sport. I wonder where that comes from or what the basis is for that, how you're able to maintain without getting too demonstrative down on yourself in a tough moment and still be able to fight out of it?

ALEXANDRA EALA: Thank you. Yeah, that's definitely something I'm conscious about. My parents have really taught me a lot about that emotional control. Of course, with my own journey in tennis, I think there's lessons that I've learned through my experiences, as well.

I try to dictate my emotions instead of letting the emotions dictate me. It's definitely a skill. I'm striving to master that. It's definitely easier said than done, learning process.

I think every match is different, so it's very difficult, but I'm trying, yeah.

Q. I'm curious, you've been here for about a week now. Any highlights of your time in Washington on court, on site, or in the city?

ALEXANDRA EALA: So funny. I tried to watch "The Odyssey" the other day.

Q. At a cinema?

ALEXANDRA EALA: Yeah, at one of the IMAXes. We pulled up. We were rushing. It was, like, five minutes before. We were, like, Oh, my God, we have time. You know, five minutes to buy the ticks.

We got there, and there was a huge line. There was security. I was, like, Oh, this is not your regular cinematic experience. I looked around. Everyone bought tickets.

By the time we got to security, they were, like, Oh, it's sold out. So maybe another day (laughing), yeah.

Q. Alex, you yourself said that you played amazing, like super good. How good were you feeling the ball?

ALEXANDRA EALA: I think I played pretty well. I think I felt the ball pretty good, was using my legs well. I stayed in those long rallies. Yeah, pretty well (laughing).

Q. Playing Naomi Osaka, did you ever think that you would get to play her? Everybody is calling it the blockbuster match. How are you feeling about that?

ALEXANDRA EALA: I'm super excited. I hope it lives up to the expectations. I'm definitely going to do everything I can, leave it all on court, like always.

Of course, Naomi is an amazing player, so it's going to be a tough match for me.

Q. You've obviously had tremendous fan support all week, but was it a different atmosphere or did it feel different stepping on court tonight in the main stadium of a night match? How would you describe tonight's atmosphere overall?

ALEXANDRA EALA: The atmosphere was electric. Of course, the past two matches have also had great crowds, but I think today was a little bit more. I don't know if that had to do with the time that I played, but yeah, I really felt the love.

Even when I went out to the Tennis Channel desk, loads of people. It was super, yeah, crazy. Crazy experience, yeah.