WASHINGTON — Leylah Fernandez’s D.C. Open title defence is over.

The 23-year-old from Laval, Que., lost 6-2, 7-6 (1) to Alexandra Eala of the Philippines in the second round Wednesday after winning last year’s WTA 500 tournament.

Eala converted four of nine break points and won 63.3 per cent of the points on Fernandez’s second serve to take the match in one hour 53 minutes.

“I know that she was playing a little better, and maybe my level dropped a little bit,” Eala said of her second-set comeback. “Those are very tricky moments, when you know your level has dropped and you want to do better, but things for one reason or another just aren’t coming out.

“I think patience was key there, just trying to work it out, and a strong mentality in terms of trying to find solutions.”

The seventh-seeded Fernandez fell to 13-20 in singles action this season.

She and partner Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan also exited the women’s doubles tournament Tuesday with a first-round loss to China’s Tang Qianhui and Xu Yifan.

The world No. 34 moves on to the National Bank Open in Toronto, with singles main-draw play beginning Sunday.

Fernandez and her sister, Bianca, also received a wild card for the women’s doubles tournament at Sobeys Stadium.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2026.