By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala continues her “Revenge Tour” when she goes up against Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round of the Cincinnati Open in Ohio on Saturday, Aug. 15 (Philippine time).
The Filipina ace received a first-round bye after being seeded 17th in the WTA 1000 tournament and now takes on the 28-year-old unseeded Romanian for the second time in the Tour.
Their first meeting came in the third qualifying round of the 2024 Australian Open, when Eala, then ranked No. 185, fell to the higher-ranked Ruse, who was No. 131 at the time, in three sets.
Much has changed since then. Eala has climbed to a career-high No. 21 in the world, while Ruse currently sits at No. 77.
Ruse opened her Cincinnati campaign in dominant fashion, clobbering Magda Linette, 6-0, 6-3. The Romanian, who ranked as high as No. 55, is also a proven doubles player, having reached the Grand Slam semifinals twice.
Eala, meanwhile, enters the tournament with renewed confidence after a brief respite following a grueling two-week stretch.
She captured her breakthrough WTA Tour singles title at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington DC where she overpowered the very players that once beat her, including Chinese star Zheng Qinwen, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the first round), defending champion and 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, 6-2, 7-6 (1) and Jessica Pegula (4-6, 6-4, 6-0) in the finals.
There, she also beat second seed and 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Elina Svitolina (6-3, 6-4) and third seed and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, (6-4, 6-2).
She reached the Round of 16 at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada that also saw the busiest Tour campaigner beat American Alycia Parks in the Round of 64 and Caty McNally.
The 21-year-old Filipina is expected to carry that momentum into Cincinnati as she continues her buildup toward the US Open later this month.
With a tougher test awaiting in Ruse, Eala will have another chance to measure her progress against an opponent she has already faced — and one she is now meeting from a very different position in the rankings.
A potential showdown against reigning Wimbledon champion and sixth seed Linda Noskova also awaits the Filipina deeper into the draw, while other notable players in her bracket are two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova, No. 27 Clara Tauson, No. 15 Sorana Cirstea and third seed Pegula.
