Eala blows leads in loss to Anisimova as win streak vs top-10 foes snapped

RETURN. Alexandra Eala (PHI) hits a ball to Alycia Parks (not pictured) during round two play of the 2026 Canadian Open at Sobeys Stadium.

John E. Sokolowski/Imagn Images/Reuters

Alex Eala falls short of claiming a sixth consecutive victory over a top-10 player as Amanda Anisimova ends the Filipina star’s Cincinnati Open campaign in the round of 32

AT A GLANCE

• Alex Eala's winning streak against top-10 players ended with a loss to Amanda Anisimova at the Cincinnati Open, where she lost, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
• Eala led in the deciding set but lost momentum after dropping a crucial game, allowing Anisimova to take control and win the match.
• Despite the loss, Eala had previously achieved five consecutive victories over top-10 players and now looks forward to competing in the US Open.

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MANILA, Philippines – Alex Eala‘s winning streak against top-10 opponents came to an end at the Cincinnati Open.

Eala squandered leads in the second and third sets, suffering a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 loss to world No. 10 Amanda Anisimova of the United States in the round of 32 of the WTA 1000 tournament in Ohio, United States, on Monday, August 17 (Tuesday, August 18, Manila time).

Up 2-0 in the deciding set, the world No. 20 Filipina never won a game again as she fell short in claiming a sixth consecutive victory over a top-10 player.

The turning point came in the fifth game of the third set, when Eala appeared poised to regain the upper hand after taking a 40-15 lead, only to drop the next four points and allow Anisimova to surge ahead at 3-2.

Anisimova — who reached a career-high No. 3 ranking in January — cruised the rest of the way, even shutting out Eala in the final game, to advance to the fourth round.

“I’m really proud of this performance, for being able to find a way and kind of push myself there in the middle of the match. I’m really happy with the way I was able to find my tennis and start fighting. It was a really, really tough match and credit to her, she was playing some great tennis. So really happy with this win,” said Anisimova.

Prospects of a straight-sets victory looked promising for Eala as she led 3-2 in the second set, but Anisimova fought back by winning four of the next five games to extend the match that took 2 hours and 28 minutes to finish.

“Alex is such a great player and such a fighter, so I knew it was going to be a really tough match. There was quite a bit of support for me tonight so I really appreciate that because I know how loved Alex is, and for good reason,” said Anisimova.

The loss denied Eala another encounter with Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova as Anisimova battles the reigning Wimbledon champion for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Before the Cincinnati Open, Eala had beaten her last five top-10 foes, stunning Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina and Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the Berlin Tennis Open, dethroning Poland’s Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon, then taking down Svitolina again and upsetting the USA’s Jessica Pegula on the way to capturing her first-ever WTA Tour title in the Washington Open.

Eala’s record against top-10 players now stand at 7-3 this 2026 and 9-5 overall.

The Filipina turns her attention to the last Grand Slam of the year as she competes in the US Open, which will run from August 30 to September 13. – Rappler.com