By REYNALD MAGALLON
Alex Eala was off to a rousing start in the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open, dominating Elena-Gabriela Ruse, 6-1, 3-0, before the Romanian retired in their rain-delayed second-round match early Sunday, Aug. 16 (Manila time).
Save for an early hiccup that saw Eala drop her serve in the opening game, the Filipina tennis ace controlled the match before Ruse was forced to retire with an injury in the second set, following an hour-long delay due to inclement weather.
The 17th-seeded Eala, armed with her blazing forehand and tricky lefty serve, overcame a slow start in the opening set before finding her rhythm and rattling off the next six games to draw first blood in the match.
The 21-year-old Filipina kept her foot on the gas pedal and raced to a 3-0 lead before Ruse called for a medical timeout to attend to her right-foot injury.
Play was subsequently delayed by rain and lightning, and the Romanian decided to not anymore continue, handing Eala a spot in the third round. She now sets up a Round of 32 showdown with American ninth seed Amanda Anisimova, who previously defeated Eala’s Turkish friend Zeynep Sonmez, 6-2, 6-3.
The victory was some sort of revenge for Eala, who fell to Ruse in their first meeting in the third qualifying round of the 2024 Australian Open. The Filipino is also looking to bounce back from a fourth round exit in the Canadian Open.
