NEW YORK — Alex Eala has less than a week to make adjustments after her Cincinnati Masters exit as she shifts her focus to the US Open, the final Grand Slam tournament of the season.
The 17th-seeded Eala fell to ninth-seeded American Amanda Anisimova, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, in the Cincinnati Masters, a WTA 1000 tournament that serves as a key preparation event for the US Open.
Anisimova overcame Eala in a match that featured a 20-minute fifth game in the opening set. She then dominated the deciding set, winning 16 of the final 19 points to reach the fourth round.
“Alex is such a great player and such a fighter, so I knew it was really going to be a tough match,” Anisimova said.
The loss ended Eala’s Cincinnati campaign after two matches, but the Filipino world No. 20 enters the US Open after a productive stretch on the hard courts and grass.
Eala won her first WTA singles title at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, defeating several established players along the way. She also reached the spotlight at Wimbledon, where she stunned world No. 3 Iga Swiatek on Centre Court, and made a strong run at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
Eala said her Wimbledon victory and Washington title stand out among her recent accomplishments.
“Of course, everyone says you’ll never forget your first title. They’re kind of like my two babies,” Eala said.
She also rejected the idea that her Cincinnati result would determine her US Open campaign.
“Momentum exists. Momentum is a thing,” Eala said before facing Anisimova. “But it’s not concrete and it doesn’t give you hundred percent answers.”
Eala will also compete in mixed doubles at the US Open alongside Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in a field featuring several top-ranked players.
The Filipino star is expected to draw strong support in New York, where a large Filipino community lives, as her growing popularity has helped her earn spots on bigger courts and attract larger crowds.
Eala said the attention has not added pressure and instead has reinforced the importance of continuing to work.
“I know that I wouldn’t be having these experiences if I didn’t do all the work that I did beforehand,” she said. “So I know that I won’t continue to experience it if I don’t continue that work.”
