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- Alex Eala gets her Cincinnati Open campaign going against Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round at Lindner Tennis Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.
Cincinnati Open second round schedule
August 15, Monday
- 11:00 p.m. (tentative) – Alex Eala vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse
LIVE UPDATES: Alex Eala vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse – Cincinnati Open Round of 64
- Refresh for updates.
Alex Eala on Pacquiao comparisons: ‘I’m still very, very far’
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines celebrates her win against Caty McNally of the United States during day six of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 07, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
MANILA, Philippines—With the worldwide support she has gotten amid her breakout, Alex Eala has inevitably drawn comparisons with boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.
Eala has emerged as the Philippines’ latest sporting trailblazer since her breakthrough at the Miami Open last year. She has continued to make history since, rising to No. 20 in the world as she nears her first full year on the WTA Tour.
She has also become a certified crowd draw at tournaments around the world and helped spark renewed interest in tennis in the Philippines, where basketball and volleyball dominate the sporting landscape.
Alex Eala begins Cincinnati Open campaign vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse
Philippines’ Alexandra Eala celebrates a point against United States’ Caty McNally during a National Bank Open tennis match in Toronto on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
MANILA, Philippines — Alex Eala battles Elena Gabriela-Ruse of Romania in the second round of the 2026 Cincinnati Open on Saturday in Mason, Ohio.
Eala, who earned a first-round bye as the 17th seed, plays her second consecutive WTA 1000 tournament against a foe she hasn’t faced in two years.
Ruse took down Magda Linette of Poland, 6-0, 6-3, to forge a duel with Eala.
‘I want to be Alex Eala’: Filipino tennis star sparks tennis boom at home
This photo taken on August 7, 2026, shows children taking part in a training session at Alabang Tennis Academy in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila. On a Manila court made of crushed seashells, an earnest four-year-old sends a forehand sailing wide – one of dozens of kids aiming to follow in the footsteps of the Philippines’ first homegrown tennis sensation, Alex Eala. (Photo by Jam STA ROSA / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines–On a Manila court made of crushed seashells, an earnest four-year-old sends a forehand sailing wide –- one of dozens of kids aiming to follow in the footsteps of the Philippines’ first homegrown tennis sensation, Alexandra Eala.
The 21-year-old’s rise has sparked a rush of interest in a sport typically seen as the preserve of the elite in a country best known for its love of basketball, boxing and cockfighting.
Racquet sales are up and scoring one of the few available playing venues has become next to impossible as parents cram their pre-schoolers onto practice courts.
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