By el Amigo
MANILA — Alex Eala will begin her campaign at the Cincinnati Open against familiar opposition after Elena-Gabriela Ruse secured a second-round berth at the WTA 1000 tournament.
Ruse, of Romania, defeated Poland’s Magda Linette, 6-0, 6-3, to advance and set up another meeting with the rising Filipino star.
The world No. 77 needed little time to impose her game on Linette, racing through the first set before completing the victory in straight sets. Ruse, 28, has previously reached a career-high ranking of No. 51.
Eala is seeded No. 17 in Cincinnati and holds the No. 20 spot in the latest world rankings. She skipped the opening round as one of the seeded players and will now take on Ruse in her tournament debut.
The upcoming match will be their second career encounter. Ruse won their first meeting in the final qualifying round of the 2024 US Open, prevailing in a three-set battle.
The 19-year-old Eala has enjoyed an impressive run on North American hard courts, winning the Washington DC tournament and reaching the Round of 16 in Toronto.
With both players arriving with positive momentum, their Cincinnati encounter promises to be an intriguing second-round test for Eala.
