Alex Eala Beat Five Champions and DC Proved a Point

Alex Eala won the DC Open by going through Qinwen Zheng, Leylah Fernandez, Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina, and Jessica Pegula, and became the first Filipino player to win a WTA singles title. This one is a solo pod, recorded late after a work day, about what that week actually looked like from the ground. Inside: the TikTok about Eala's Miami run that started This Week in Tennis, the strange gap between a huge fanbase and a thin trophy case, the rain delay that wiped a set and handed her a clean slate on Monday, and Pegula's very generous explanation of why that slow lefty serve is so hard to attack. Then the bigger argument. The Tennis Channel desk sitting out in the open, an hour of Naomi Osaka just hanging out with fans, an ice cream truck a few feet away, and what that says about where the sport feels healthiest right now. Plus Fritz on the safety break, Rafa Jódar on the weekly reset, and the Canada attendance question. Also, Ground Pass is credentialed at the US Open. That happened because of weeks like this one. Links: Ground Pass on Substack - https://groundpass.substack.com/ - Ground Pass Shop: https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop - Jessica Pegula's final press conference: https://youtu.be/WfBxCkkasok?si=-AaRA6-RZozkgki0 - PTPA article: https://awfulannouncing.com/tennis/ptpa-threatens-defamation-lawsuit-andy-roddick-served.html Chapters 00:00 Alex Eala wins the DC Open 06:30 The TikTok that started This Week in Tennis 09:20 "Who's this girl?" and the fandom question 13:10 Head down, no celebrating, until the handshake 14:20 Eala on how steep it gets at the top 18:20 The rain reset and a brand new match 21:40 Pegula explains why the slow lefty serve works 28:40 Taylor Fritz on the safety break 31:40 Rafa Jódar on resetting after every week 33:40 Ground Pass is credentialed at the US Open 35:20 Just fix the bathrooms 39:40 The Osaka cookout 43:00 The PTPA story someone should report 44:40 Sinner, Djokovic, and the Canada question 💬 Don’t forget to give us a leave is a 5 ⭐️ rating and drop us a comment Want to Support Ground Pass - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/support Ground Pass Shop - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop Where You can Find us Online: Substack - https://groundpass.substack.com Website - www.groundpasspodcast.com Email - groundpasspodcast@gmail.com Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ground_pass Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/groundpass.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ground_pass Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GroundPass TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@groundpasspodcast X: https://x.com/groundpasspod Disclaimer: This video does not contain a paid for advertisement. PR samples are denoted by the term ‘ad - gifted’. Links containing ad affiliate links are denoted by a '*'. This means that if you click on an affiliate link, go through to the retailer and purchase an item, we will receive a small percentage of your purchase. Check out our website for a full disclaimer: https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/about Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.