ALEX Eala dominated Elena-Gabriela Ruse, 6-1, 3-0, in the Round of 64 on Saturday (Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, PH time) at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, setting up a marquee matchup with world No. 10 Amanda Anisimova in the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open in Ohio, USA.
The 21-year-old Filipina faces a major test as she battles top-ranked Anisimova in the Round of 32 on Monday night (PH time).
Eala dominated Ruse on her first Cincinnati debut, but it will be another story with the 24-year-old American.
Anisimova won the 2017 US Open Girls’ singles before taking a break from May 2023 to January 2024. The eight months’ rest brought down her ranking from No. 46 to 373.
When she returned to the game, Anisimova reached two Grand Slam finals in a row, and also made her presence felt in major tournaments. With the remarkable return, she rose to world No. 10.
Eala, for her part, was coming off impressive plays highlighted by the Mubadala DC Open in Washington, where she won her first WTA tournament win by beating world No. 3 Jessica Pegula (4-6, 6-4, 6-0).
The Filipina also made a mark in the Canada Open. / RSC