Filipina tennis star Alex Eala now knows her first opponent at the Cincinnati Open.
Eala will face Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament after Ruse cruised past Poland’s Magda Linette, 6-0, 6-3, in the opening round.
The 28-year-old Ruse, ranked No. 77 in the world, wasted little time against Linette, taking control from the opening game and finishing the match in straight sets. Ruse has a career-high ranking of No. 51.
Eala, seeded No. 17 and ranked No. 20 in the world, received a first-round bye and will now make her Cincinnati debut against the Romanian.
The two have met once before, at the final round of Qualies of 2024 Us Open with Ruse winning that encounter in 3 sets .
Eala has been in superb form in the North America hard court swing winning washington DC and reaching the R16 in Toronto.
Ruse, meanwhile, comes in with confidence after one of her most convincing wins of the tournament so far.