Eala falls in Cincinnati but looking forward to the US Open

Alexandra Eala prepares for the US Open next week.

Every time Alexandra Eala plays, she continues to make history. Even with her loss in the Cincinnati Open, she is set for the US Open with a seeding in the top 20, maybe even as high as No. 15.

That means she won't have play in the brutal Qualifying Rounds and perhaps a bye in the first round, which begins Aug. 30.

The late start at the Cincinnati Open did not dampen the spirits of Filipino fans, who turned out in large numbers and remained in the stands well past midnight into the early hours of the morning as Eala battled Amanda Anisimova of the US.

Midnight magic & heartbreak

If organizers thought a late-night start time would thin out the crowd at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, they clearly underestimated Pinoy pride. Despite the schedule sliding deep into the evening and the three-set battle stretching into the early hours of the next morning, Filipino supporters turned the arena into a sea of Philippine flags and booming cheers. 

Even with the local Filipino population in Cincinnati estimated at fewer than 2,000, fans traveled from across the region, staying glued to their seats past midnight to back their 21-year-old sensation.

On the court, Eala fed on that electric energy early against world No. 10 Amanda Anisimova. The Filipina took a gritty first set 6-4 after surviving an epic, which included a 20-minute struggle in the fifth game.

Anisimova regrouped to snatch the second set 6-4, but Eala came roaring right back in the decider, jumping out to a quick 2-0 cushion as the clock ticked well into Tuesday morning. Just when another top-10 upset seemed within grasp, Anisimova found another gear—aided by a mid-match energy drink boost on the bench — and ripped off six straight games to close out the match 6-2 at 1:00 AM.

While it was a tough loss to digest after 2 hours and 28 minutes on court, the roar from the Filipino faithful who stayed until the final handshake proved that Eala's star power transcends scorelines.

The road to Flushing Meadows

There is no time to dwell on a midnight loss with New York calling. Eala is using a week of downtime to recover from a grueling North American hard-court swing that included her historic WTA singles title run in Washington, DC.

Her schedule in New York is already stacked. Starting August 25, 2026, Eala will team up with Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in the mixed doubles draw.

On August 27, she takes center court under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium for the "Stars of the Open" exhibition against American rising talent Iva Jovic.

While the official singles bracket is slated to be drawn in the coming days, Eala has secured direct main-draw entry thanks to her top-20 ranking. She is projected to land a top-15 seed when main-draw singles action begins August 30 — giving her a strong launchpad as she looks to make a deep run at Flushing Meadows.

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