LIVE: Alex Eala vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse – Cincinnati Open Round of 64
- Alex Eala gets her Cincinnati Open campaign going against Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round at Toney Trabert Stadium 3 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.
Cincinnati Open second round schedule
August 15, Saturday
- 11:00 p.m. – Alex Eala vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse
LIVE UPDATES: Alex Eala vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse – Cincinnati Open Round of 64
Alex Eala through to Cincinnati Open third round as Ruse retires
FILE–Philippines’ Alexandra Eala celebrates a point against United States’ Alycia Parks during a National Bank Open tennis match in Toronto on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala hardly broke a sweat in advancing to the third round of the Cincinnati Open early Sunday (Manila time) in Mason, Ohio.
Eala reached the round of 32 of the WTA 1000 hardcourt tournament after Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse retired from the match due to a right foot injury during the rain suspension midway through the second set.
The World No. 20 Eala was dominating Ruse, 6-1, 3-0, when play was halted due to lightning as ominous clouds loomed over the packed Toney Trabert Stadium 3 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
- Refresh for updates.
Alex Eala is through to the third round of the Cincinnati Open. Elena-Gabriela Ruse retired from the match due to a right foot injury.
Follow our live updates here: https://t.co/pvDOf4ubRG pic.twitter.com/0Ct9O2ttKd
— INQUIRER Sports (@inquirersports) August 15, 2026
- Eala will next face ninth seed Amanda Anisimova, who rolled past Zeynep Sonmez.
- FINAL: Alex Eala advances to the Cincinnati Open round of 32.
- Ruse retires from match due to a right foot injury during the rain suspension
- Eala on her way to a quick win before the match was halted
Play has been suspended due to inclement weather approaching. Please seek shelter. #CincyTennis
— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) August 15, 2026
- Match is suspended due to incoming bad weather
- Match resumes. Eala 15-0
- Ruse takes a medical timeout, her right foot being strapped
- Ruse having her right foot checked
- Eala dominating Ruse, 3-0
- Ruse ace, 15-0
- Eala holds to love, 2-0
- Ruse wide. Eala keeps rolling, 1-0
- Eala just hits the line, break point
Listen to that noise 🔊
In just 34 minutes, Alex Eala clinches the first set against Ruse 6-1!#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/zeyvRJ98bj
— wta (@WTA) August 15, 2026
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- Eala cruises to take the opening set, 6-1
- Ruse out. Eala set point, 40-15
- Ruse already with 11 unforced errors. Eala 15-0
- Hot start for Eala, 5-1
- Ruse short. Eala break point again, 40-30
- Eala scores on a second serve, now leads 4-1
- Eala breaks to love, 3-1
- Ruse double fault. Eala 40-0
- Match continues with Eala scoring on a return, 30-0
- Match momentarily stops with a spectator requiring medical attention
- Eala takes the lead, 2-1
- Eala service winner, 30-0
- Ruse too flat on the drop. Eala 15-0
- Eala breaks back, 1-1
- Ruse double fault, 30-30
- Eala backhand crosscourt service return, 15-30
- Ruse back-to-back service winners, 30-0
- Ruse breaks
- Ruse out. Eala saves a break point.
- Eala gets the first point of the match
- Eala wins the toss and will serve first.
A warm welcome for Eala in Cincy 👋#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/qPrN4hI6e3
— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) August 15, 2026
- Alex Eala, Elena-Gabriela Ruse now on court for their second round match.
Alex Eala on Pacquiao comparisons: ‘I’m still very, very far’
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates her win against Caty McNally of the United States during day six of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 07, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
MANILA, Philippines—With the worldwide support she has gotten amid her breakout, Alex Eala has inevitably drawn comparisons with boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.
Eala has emerged as the Philippines’ latest sporting trailblazer since her breakthrough at the Miami Open last year. She has continued to make history since, rising to No. 20 in the world as she nears her first full year on the WTA Tour.
She has also become a certified crowd draw at tournaments around the world and helped spark renewed interest in tennis in the Philippines, where basketball and volleyball dominate the sporting landscape.
Alex Eala begins Cincinnati Open campaign vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse
Philippines’ Alexandra Eala celebrates a point against United States’ Caty McNally during a National Bank Open tennis match in Toronto on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala battles Elena Gabriela-Ruse of Romania in the second round of the 2026 Cincinnati Open on Saturday in Mason, Ohio.
Eala, who earned a first-round bye as the 17th seed, plays her second consecutive WTA 1000 tournament against a foe she hasn’t faced in two years.
Ruse took down Magda Linette of Poland, 6-0, 6-3, to forge a duel with Eala.
‘I want to be Alex Eala’: Filipino tennis star sparks tennis boom at home
This photo taken on August 7, 2026, shows children taking part in a training session at Alabang Tennis Academy in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila. On a Manila court made of crushed seashells, an earnest four-year-old sends a forehand sailing wide – one of dozens of kids aiming to follow in the footsteps of the Philippines’ first homegrown tennis sensation, Alex Eala. (Photo by Jam STA ROSA / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines–On a Manila court made of crushed seashells, an earnest four-year-old sends a forehand sailing wide –- one of dozens of kids aiming to follow in the footsteps of the Philippines’ first homegrown tennis sensation, Alexandra Eala.
The 21-year-old’s rise has sparked a rush of interest in a sport typically seen as the preserve of the elite in a country best known for its love of basketball, boxing and cockfighting.
Racquet sales are up and scoring one of the few available playing venues has become next to impossible as parents cram their pre-schoolers onto practice courts.
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