Alex Eala advances to Cincinnati Open Round of 32 after Ruse retires

Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala advanced to the Round of 32 at the Cincinnati Open after Elena-Gabriela Ruse retired during their second-round clash on Sunday.

Eala was leading 6-1, 3-0 when the Romanian called for a medical timeout before eventually retiring, sending the Filipina star into the third round of the WTA 1000 event.

The result also gave Eala a measure of revenge after she lost to Ruse in their first meeting in 2024, levelling their head-to-head record at 1-1.

Eala, the 17th seed, made a strong start after receiving a first-round bye – her highest seeding on the WTA Tour so far. She quickly took control against Ruse, racing to a 2-1 lead before winning four consecutive games to seal the opening set 6-1.

The 20-year-old continued her dominance in the second set, breaking away to a 3-0 lead before a weather delay interrupted play. Ruse later retired from the contest following her medical timeout.

The Cincinnati Open is Eala’s third tournament of the North American hard-court swing. She reached the round of 16 in Toronto before making history in Washington by winning her first WTA Tour-level title at the WTA 500 event.

Eala will now face Amanda Anisimova in the Round of 32.

“I haven’t played her before. She’s been having such an incredible season.. very great player with a lot of fans. I’m really looking forward to that. I know it’s probably gonna be a very packed stadium. I’m sure it will be really fun,” Anisimova said after her win over Zeynep Sonmez 6=2, 6-3.