A 'better' Alex Eala seeks payback vs. Jessica Pegula in DC Open finals

Eighteen months after Jessica Pegula halted her historic Miami Open campaign, a vastly improved Alex Eala will get the chance to rewrite the script when they meet again in the DC Open finals on Sunday (Monday midnight, Philippine time).

Eala believes she is a much different player from the one Pegula faced in Miami.

Since then, the Filipina star has climbed from world No. 140 to No. 28 while sharpening every aspect of her game — from her physical conditioning to her forehand and serve.

"I think I would say if I compare myself now to then, I'm more well-rounded. I think I'm physically a little better.I've improved on a couple of my strokes. I think maybe my forehand. I would say my forehand," Eala said in an interview with the Tennis Channel.

"Serves also improved quite a bit, I think. But I would say that everything, all the aspects have kind of improved at the same pace."

READ MORE | Alex Eala vs. Jessica Pegula: Head-to-head record before DC Open final

Eala has so far shown that improvement in Washington D.C., where she beat reigning Olympic and Asian Games champion Zheng Qinwen in the opening round before dethroning Leylah Fernandez in the Round of 16.

In the quarterfinals, she overpowered world No. 10 Elina Svitolina in a sweep to punch her semifinals ticket against former top-ranked Naomi Osaka, whom she beat as well with a 6-4, 6-2 win.

However, Eala knows another meeting with world No. 3 Pegula will be anything but easy, acknowledging that the American has also improved since their first encounter 18 months ago.

"But then again, each player is always evolving," Eala added.

"Improvement is not a linear thing. So every match is different. And I'm sure Jess has also changed so much in these 18 months."

—Bea Micaller/JKC, GMA News