MANILA, Philippines — American netter Amanda Anisimova expects a packed stadium when she faces Filipino ace Alex Eala at the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open third round (round of 32) at the Lindner Family Tennis Center P&G Center Court Monday night in Ohio, Tuesday morning in Manila.
The match is set for 8:30 a.m. in Manila.
World No. 10 Anisimova arranged her first encounter against No. 20 Eala after dispatching No. 50 Zeynep Sönmez, 6-2, 6-3, in the second round (round of 64) last Sunday.
Eala defeated world No. 77 Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania in their second-round clash, 6-1, 3-0 (ret.).
"She's been having such an incredible season, incredible year, and a very great player with a lot of fans, so I'm really looking forward to that," said Anisimova in the court interview.
"I know that it's probably going to be a very packed stadium, so yeah, I'm sure it'll be really fun," the 24-year-old added.
In a separate interview with the Tennis Channel, Anisimova said she looks to feed off Eala's crowd energy.
“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 4-time champ.
“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 gonna be rooting more for her end. But I don’t mind it and I’ll try to thrive off of the energy.”
The 21-year-old Eala swings for her sixth straight and 10th overall win against top 10 players at the expense of Anisimova.
Eala holds a 9-4 win-loss record against top 10 players.
The winner between Eala and Anisimova will face either world No. 8 Linda Noskova or No. 42 Clara Tauson in the fourth round (round of 16).
