Easy does it
Alex Eala got off her Cincinnati Open debut in a manner of finish she really didn’t want as second round foe Elena-Gabriela Ruse retired while trailing because of a foot injury.
A 6-1, 3-0 win, carved out after the Filipina ace won the last six games of the first set after being broken in her first service game, had Eala advancing to the chance of taking out another Top 10 WTA player in Amanda Anisimova on Monday in Manila.
This will be the first meeting between the two, and at stake is the chance to take on reigning Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, the Czech who will play an Eala victim, Clara Tauson of Denmark, in the third round. And Eala would just be all too willing to chalk up a win over Anisimova and add her to a list of top 10 victims that led to a maiden WTA title in Washington DC two weeks ago.
The 21-year-old Eala already has eight wins against top 10 foes this season, counting one over Iga Swiatek in England and Jessica Pegula for the Mudabala crown in DC.
“I think that I was playing well, I think I felt the ball good, was really focused and tried to keep myself in the zone,” Eala said after bouncing back from her first loss in nine matches to Belinda Bencic in the fourth round in Toronto last week. “I think I did a good job of that.”
“Of course, nobody likes to finish a match with a retirement,” she went on. “First and foremost, I just want to wish Gabriela-Ruse a speedy recovery, injuries aren’t fun, so I hope she recovers soon.”
Anisomova, the No. 9-ranked player in the world seeded 10th here, also posted an authoritative victory over Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez, 6-2, 6-3, before expressing nothing but excitement in her clash with Eala.
“I haven’t played her (Eala) before. She’s been having such an incredible season, an incredible year,” Anisimova said. “[She is a] very great player with a lot of fans, so I’m really looking forward to that.”
Djoko falls early
While some of the ladies stars on the rise advanced, all-time men’s great Novak Djokovic’s stay at the Cincinnati Open was a short one. It also might be his last.
The 24-time major champion fell to Thiago Agustin Tirante 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday in a match that took 2 hours, 44 minutes in hot and humid conditions.
A 25-year-old from Argentina, Tirante is ranked No. 50 in the world. Djokovic—a three-time Cincinnati champion and No. 5 in the rankings—was playing for the first time since his loss to top-ranked Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinals.
Up next for Djokovic is the US Open, which starts Aug. 30 in New York.
Djokovic appeared to struggle physically in the heat and had his 10-match winning streak in Cincinnati snapped. The 39-year-old told reporters that an unspecified health condition made it difficult for him to play in hot and humid weather.
“It’s just a condition that I have, health-wise, that has been bothering me for the past couple of years,” Djokovic said. “A lot of issues, especially when it is humid and it is hot. I did anticipate it (would be humid), but there are all these things, like nerves and everything involved that make it worse, and that’s what happened.”
Djokovic has had plenty of success in Cincinnati, with a 45-13 record and titles in 2018, 2020 and 2023. But he wasn’t sure he would return.
“I certainly hope so, but it looks more likely not, unfortunately,” Djokovic said. “But let’s see what the future brings.” —WITH A REPORT FROM AP
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