WASHINGTON — Jessica Pegula's coach Mark Knowles has described Alex Eala as an "incredible player" as he assessed the remarkable depth in the women's game following the Filipina's breakthrough season. Eala, who beat Pegula to win her first WTA title at the Washington Open and break into the top 20 for the first time, is enjoying the best campaign of her career to date whilst continuing to make history for the Philippines.
"When you look at the depth in the women's game, incredible," said Knowles on the Inside-In Tennis Podcast. "Alex Eala, 12 months ago we had barely heard of her, incredible player. You know, there's so many players breaking through, Iva Jovic. And then you have the stalwarts, the Belinda Bencic's, the [Elina] Svitolina's, that are kind of going around a second time, the 2.0 versions that are maybe even better than the first. So there's so much depth and you have to just keep on improving."
Knowles, who has worked with Pegula since March 2024 alongside Mark Merklein, also highlighted the statistical improvements his player has made in 2026. "I actually just saw on social media some great stats, for Jess this year, 19 three set matches won, which was the highest on tour, 14 match wins at WTA 500 level, which is tied for most on tour, and then this one is probably going to be the one she is most proud of, 76% of service games won in 2026, a career-best percentage, 272 aces this year," Knowles recalled. He added that adding free points and holding serve more regularly had been a big goal for the team given how well Pegula returns and strikes the ball cleanly, noting: "The rankings are all great and everything, but I think for myself and Mark Merklein and the rest of the team, those type of stats is what makes you more proud."
Under Knowles and Merklein this year Pegula has won two WTA titles and reached two Grand Slam semi-finals. During his tenure Knowles has seen Pegula face Eala twice, with their head-to-head level at 1-1, though the pair cannot meet again until the 2027 season.