Elina Svitolina is eyeing revenge over Alexandra Eala at the Washington Open after booking her spot in the quarter-finals of the competition. 

Svitolina downed Polina Kudermetova 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to reach the last eight, where she will meet rising star Eala, five weeks after their last encounter at the Berlin Open. 

In their last-eight clash in Germany, Eala came out on top with a 6-3 6-4 triumph before losing to Linda Noskova in the semi-finals. 

However, Svitolina is out to get the better of Eala in their reunion, having recorded her first win since overcoming Liudmila Samsonova at Bad Homburg on June 23.

"It was not an easy battle for me," Svitolina said of her 6-4, 6-3 defeat to Eala on grass.

"Tomorrow is a new surface, new country, a new city, so it's a new challenge, and hopefully I'm going to draw some confidence from this match and carry it into tomorrow."

Svitolina was put through her paces in her win over Kudermetova, needing one hour and 27 minutes to battle past the qualifier.

After seeing Kudermetova break in the opening game of the match and go 5-3 in front, Svitolina roared back and managed to get herself ahead in the tie-break. 

The second set was a little more straightforward for the second seed, who needed a solitary break in the fifth game to ensure her progression. 

"I was eager to get back on track," Svitolina added. "I'm happy that I could handle the first set, get back as quickly as I could, and find an opportunity to win.

"I was not expecting to play perfectly in the first match. I think she played quite well, but in the end I was happy with the way I could handle myself and my nerves."

Quarterfinals in DC @ElinaSvitolina battles through Kudermetova in a tough straight set contest.#MubadalaDCOpen pic.twitter.com/16jBPezffk

— wta (@WTA) July 31, 2026

Jessica Pegula also booked her spot in the quarter-finals of the competition by coming from a set down to beat Magdalena Frech 3-6 6-3 6-0. 

Pegula, who is looking to become the first American woman to win the competition since Coco Gauff in 2023, will face Anna Kalinskaya for a spot in the semi-finals. 

Svitolina back up and running after Wimbledon disappointment

This was Svitolina's first match since a first-round defeat to compatriot Daria Snigur at Wimbledon, and she produced a gritty display to get the job done here. 

She narrowly edged Kudermetova on first-serve points, winning 61% (31/51) to her opponents' 60% (32/53), though she will want to improve with the ball in hand. Svitolina registered nine double faults to Kudermetova's 12.  

And Svitolina will be confident ahead of facing Eala, particularly on this surface. She has achieved her best win percentage on hard courts in 2026 (81.5%), compared to clay and grass.