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
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