FILIPINO tennis sensation Alexandra “Alex” Eala received a first-round bye in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour 1000 Cincinnati Open and will either face Magda Linette of Poland or Elena-Gabriel Ruse of Romania in the round of 64 on Saturday (Manila time) at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.
The 21-year-old Eala is seeded No. 17 in the tournament, her highest seeding in a 1000-tier competition.
She earned the advantage as top seeded players are usually exempted from playing in the first round. This gives Eala, who topped the 2026 Washington Open two weeks ago, additional days of rest before opening her campaign in Cincinnati.
Eala, No. 20 in the WTA Tour world rankings, is coming off a round of 16 exit in the WTA 1000 National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada, where she bowed to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, 4-6, 0-6, on Monday.
The Filipina netter, meanwhile, posted on social media how Filipino culture was celebrated and recognized in Toronto.
“Saya pala dito sa barangay Toronto (It’s fun here in Barangay Toronto),” wrote Eala in an Instagram post Tuesday night as Filipino fans filled the 12,500-seater arena, bringing a typical Filipino “barangay basketball league atmosphere” to the usually hushed tennis matches.
Eala is also gearing up for her match on Saturday in Cincinnati as she awaits the winner of the match between No. 68 Linette and No. 77 Ruse.
Eala played with Linette four times in their pro tennis career with a even 2-2 head-to-head record. The Filipina prevailed over Linette in the 2026 ASB Classic quarterfinals and 2026 Miami Open round of 32 but lost in the 2025 Nottingham Open round of 32 and 2024 Abu Dhabi Open round of 32.
If the 34-year-old Linette wins over Ruse, the young Filipina netter needs to bring her A-game as the Polish pulled a high-profile victory over Iga Swiatek at the 2026 Miami Open in March, proving her power and unpredictability inside the court.
On the other hand, Eala dropped a three-set decision to the 28-year-old Ruse in their 2024 US Open encounter.
Ruse and Eala are both known for their comeback plays as the Romanian rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the second set to seal a straight sets victory over American Peyton Stearns, 6-0, 7-5, in Toronto last week.
This is the first time that Eala will be playing in the Cincinnati Open, the third largest tennis event in the United States behind the US Open and Miami Open.
While Eala enjoyed a heavy Filipino crowd in Toronto, where there are more than 272,000 Filipinos living and working in the area, Cincinnati City has Filipino population of between 1,100 and 2,000.
However, Ohio is home to nearly 17,000 Filipino Americans, who can fill the stands to support Eala.
The Filipina tennis ace, meanwhile, will play in the US Open exhibition match against her American friend Iva Jovic on Aug. 27, at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
While Eala is also expected to play in the main draw of the tournament, the Filipina is set to play in a charity event of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Foundation, aiding tennis and educational programs to under-resourced communities.
The Filipina fell to her friend Jovic in their two previous meetings in the WTA Tour.
