Alex Eala advances to Cincinnati Open third round as Ruse retires

MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala advanced to the third round of the 2026 Cincinnati Open after Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse retired with a right-foot injury while trailing the Filipina, 6-1, 3-0, on Saturday in Mason, Ohio.

Photo courtesy: WTA

The victory marked a strong start to Eala's WTA 1000 debut in Cincinnati and continued her remarkable North American hard-court campaign.

Eala, the No. 17 seed and world No. 20, initially faced a tough opening game before quickly finding her rhythm against the 28-year-old Romanian.

The Filipina won six consecutive games after dropping the opener, breaking Ruse's serve three times to claim the first set in dominant fashion.

Eala carried her momentum into the second set, racing to a 3-0 lead with another break as her powerful returns and tricky serves continued to frustrate Ruse.

Ruse then called for a medical timeout and had her right foot taped, briefly interrupting the match before play was suspended because of lightning and rain.

With Eala holding a 30-0 lead in the fourth game of the second set, the match was expected to resume after the weather delay.

Ruse ultimately retired during the suspension, sending Eala into the Round of 32 without the need to complete the match.

The result gives Eala her 11th victory in her last 13 singles matches, a remarkable stretch that began with her breakthrough WTA title at the Mubadala DC Open two weeks ago.

She followed that historic championship run by reaching the Round of 16 at the Canadian Open before arriving in Cincinnati as the No. 17 seed.

Eala will next face American Amanda Anisimova, the No. 9 seed and world No. 10, who defeated Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez, 6-2, 6-3.

Anisimova said she is looking forward to facing Eala for the first time, praising the Filipina's remarkable season and growing support from fans.

The matchup presents another major test for Eala as she continues her Cincinnati campaign and builds toward the US Open.

— The Summit Express