WASHINGTON — Tuesday’s slate at the Mubadala DC Open delivered its share of American heartbreak and a coming-out party for one of the tour’s rising stars, as Alex Eala and Ben Shelton advanced at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center on a day defined by upsets.
Eala, the No. 28-ranked Filipina who reached the second week of Wimbledon this summer, made her long-awaited DC Open debut a memorable one, rallying past 2024 Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, in just under two and a half hours. Eala converted six of eight break-point chances and will face 2025 DC Open champion and No. 7 seed Leylah Fernandez on Thursday. “I think it was a great atmosphere out there,” Eala said afterward. “This is my first time competing in D.C. I knew there was a Filipino community… I think there was a great atmosphere on court today, very electric.” Second-seeded Ben Shelton needed three sets and survived a rain delay of more than two hours to get past qualifier Martin Damm, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, in his first hard-court match ahead of the US Open swing.
The rest of the day belonged to the upset column. Venus Williams’ comeback bid ended in the first round, falling to No. 27 seed Anastasia Potapova, 6-3, 6-3. Fifth-seeded Learner Tien and Tommy Paul also lost in straight sets, to Adrian Mannarino and Kamil Majchrzak, respectively, while No. 24 Rafael Jodar upset eighth-seeded Arthur Fils, 7-6(5), 6-3. Seventeen-year-old Cruz Hewitt, son of 2004 DC Open champion Lleyton Hewitt, picked up his first career ATP Tour win, beating Marcos Giron, 6-3, 6-4, without facing a break point — the youngest player to win a match in Washington since Kei Nishikori in 2007. The results came a day after hometown favorite Frances Tiafoe was upset by Terence Atmane in the first round.
Play continues Wednesday at Rock Creek Park with second-round matches, including Shelton’s next opponent, Kamil Majchrzak, and Jodar taking on Kei Nishikori. The Mubadala DC Open runs through Sunday, August 2.