MANILA — Alexandra Eala gets a shot at redemption against a familiar rival as the Filipina tennis ace opens her Cincinnati Open campaign against Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the Round of 64 this weekend.
The Victorias City, Negros Occidental native, now ranked a career-high No. 20 in the world, will try to reverse the result of their previous meeting after Ruse eliminated her in the 2024 US Open qualifying tournament.
Ruse rallied from a set down to defeat Eala, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, in that encounter, giving the Romanian a 1-0 advantage in their head-to-head record.
Two years later, however, Eala enters their Cincinnati rematch carrying considerably more experience and momentum after establishing herself among the world’s top players.
The 21-year-old Filipina is seeded No. 17 in the WTA 1000 tournament following another impressive stretch on the WTA Tour.
Eala recently advanced to the Round of 16 of the National Bank Open in Toronto, building on the momentum of her maiden WTA Tour singles championship at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington.
Her Cincinnati stint also comes after a demanding season in which she has played more matches than any other player on the WTA Tour.
Ruse, meanwhile, enters the showdown ranked No. 77 in the world. The 28-year-old Romanian, whose career-high ranking is No. 51, plays right-handed compared with Eala’s left-handed game.
Eala earned a first-round bye because of her seeding, sending her directly into the Round of 64.
Beyond avenging her previous defeat to Ruse, a deep Cincinnati run would give Eala another opportunity to sharpen her form ahead of the upcoming US Open, the final Grand Slam tournament of the season./PN
