Eala tipped to go all out vs dangerous American
ALEX Eala is determined to go all out to beat Amanda Anisimova and be on track for her first ever WTA 1000 crown in the Cincinnati Open in Ohio.
Photograph courtesy of ALEX EALA/IG
With injury fears already behind her, Alex Eala has only one thing in mind as she goes deeper into her campaign in Cincinnati Open: go full blast.
The 21-year-old Filipina vows to be at full strength when she takes on world No. 10 Amanda Anisimova of the United States in the Round of 32 of the women’s singles event on Tuesday (Manila time) at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.
Eala, who had some minor injuries in her past couple of tournaments, displayed impressive form in posting a 6-1, 3-0 (retired) victory over world No. 77 Elena Gabriela Ruse of Romania in the Round of 64 last Saturday.
She said her health issues are already a thing of the past and she is now displaying her deadly form not just to capture her first ever Women’s Tennis Association 1000 trophy but also to gain confidence for the last Grand Slam event of the year — the US Open — that will be held next month.
“I’m really happy with my debut but I’ve always focused on the next thing,” said the world No. 18 Eala, who overcame an injured shoulder in Montreal and a rolled ankle in Canada to march into Cincinnati as one of the players to watch.
“Of course, nobody likes to finish a match with a retirement. First and foremost, I just want to wish Gabriela Ruse a speedy recovery. Injuries aren’t fun, so I hope she recovers soon.”
Animisova, the former world No. 3 who grew up in New Jersey, said facing Eala will be quite a challenge as she competes with a legion of fans behind her.
In her previous game against Ruse, banner-carrying and flag-waving Filipino fans packed the venue, cheering their hearts out at every serve, every return and every single point that Eala scored against her Romanian opponent.
“She has a great fan base. And it looks like an incredible atmosphere every time she steps out to play a match. I’m really, really looking forward to it,” said the 24-year-old Anisimova after posting a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Zyenep Sonmez of Turkey in the Round of 64.
“I love a packed stadium and I love a good atmosphere. I’m sure it will be a great match, even though they will probably be rooting more for her end. But I don’t mind it and I’ll try to thrive off of the energy.”
Eala is no stranger to beating top 10 opponents.
She has defeated Iga Swiatek of Poland and Elina Svitolina of Ukraine twice, while also scoring wins over American stars Madison Keys, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, as well as Jasmine Paolini of Italy and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan. All in all, she has a 9-4 win-loss record against heavyweight opponents.
Momentum is also on Eala’s side after she reached the Round of 16 at Wimbledon last July and captured her maiden WTA title at the Washington Open in early August.
She also reached the Last 16 of the Canadian Open, extending her winning streak to seven matches before losing to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland.
Should Eala overcome Anisimova, she will face either world No. 13 Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic or world No. 42 Clara Tauson of Denmark in the Round of 16.
A victory would also earn Eala $81,752, or roughly P5 million.
