Alex Eala has had a run to remember at the Washington Open, reaching her very first WTA 500 final at the North American hardcourt tournament.

The Filipina star has beaten Qinwen Zheng, Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina, and Naomi Osaka en route to the final, where Jessica Pegula awaits.

Eala and Pegula’s final was derailed by bad weather, which meant the match was delayed into Monday, August 3rd, with the scoreline at 6-4, 1-2.

The 21-year-old has proved incredibly popular once again on the WTA Tour during her run at the Washington Open and she appeared as part of the tournament’s latest promotional video about rule changes in tennis.

Eala appeared alongside the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Ben Shelton and she outlined the one thing she would like to see in the sport.

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Asked by the Washington Open which rule change she’d like introduced into tennis, Eala responded: “I think on court coaching.”

Eala believes it would create more of an atmosphere on court. She explained: “I think it would just be cooler if they were on the court you know? It gives it a little more pizzaz!”

At the moment, coaches can give offer advice from designated seats, with a couple of caveats.

Coaches are still not allowed to interrupt play or distract opponents, but their influence has been felt on the ATP and WTA Tours since its introducing in the 2025 season.

Eala’s call for coaches closer to the action would be similar to what is currently allowed during Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup ties.

Captains of a nation are set courtside for both events and they are allowed to give their players advice during the arranged sitdowns between games.

Although Eala’s call for change will not please all of her fellow athletes.

When the new rule was introduced in 2025, Denis Shapovalov took exception with a post on social media.

“Not just as a tennis player but as a fan of this sport it’s sad to see this new off-court coaching rule,” he wrote on X. “Tennis is special because you are out there alone. Why are you trying to change the beauty of this game?”

For Eala, however, it would allow her more time to be coached by Joan Bosch, who has worked with her throughout her time on the WTA Tour in her breakout seasons in 2025 and 2026.

Under Bosch, who met the Filipina star while she was learning her trade at the Rafael Nadal Academy, Eala has won two WTA 125 finals and reached two WTA-level finals in Eastbourne and Washington.