Cincinnati Open
Alex Eala defines success for Cincinnati as she prepares for tournament debut
Alex Eala says level, not just results, will define a successful Cincinnati Open debut week.
Alex Eala has outlined what she would consider a successful run at the 2026 Cincinnati Open as she prepares for her first appearance at the WTA 1000 event.
The world No. 20 arrives in Cincinnati on the back of a strong North American hard-court stretch, having reached the fourth round at the Canadian Open and won the Washington Open. The 21-year-old Filipina begins her campaign against world No. 74 Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
In her pre-tournament press conference, Eala spoke warmly about finally reaching the event, while also stressing that recent results do not offer any guarantees.
“I am super excited to be here in Cincinnati for the first time. Hopefully the weather will get better as time goes by, but I think the facility is amazing. Momentum is a thing, I guess, but it’s not concrete and it doesn’t give you any hundred percent answers, right? So momentum can help. A lot of matches can help with your confidence, but it doesn’t guarantee anything.”
Asked about the standout moments of her recent rise, Eala pointed to Wimbledon and Washington as the two experiences that have stayed with her most.
“It would have to be between Wimbledon and and Washington, of course. I think playing on Centre Court and winning in such fashion against a great players, I mean, something I’ll never forget and it was my first win on Centre. So, crazy, crazy experience and, of course, everyone says you’ll never forget your first title. So, it’s like kind of like my two babies if you want to pick.”
Eala also reflected on Filipino culture, describing it through a few core values, and said her recent visit home gave her a clearer sense of her impact. She added that seeing support firsthand was eye-opening, especially when people shared how tennis and national pride had shaped their lives.
On comparisons with Manny Pacquiao, she said the reference was flattering but also made clear that the two paths remain distinct. For Eala, the defining measure in Cincinnati is not simply results, but the quality she can bring on court.
“I think it’s just the level that I play. And of course, the more matches, the merrier, right? But it’s the matches of substance and it’s the ones that… did I execute what I want to execute? Did I bring the level that I wanted to bring? So, if I lose first round, but it’s a really good match, not to say that it’s a successful week, but it wasn’t a bad one. And if I reach the final, then I’ll take that too (laughs).”
Cincinnati Open
Rusedski sees reason for optimism in Eala’s Cincinnati run
Rusedski says Eala’s Cincinnati draw should not worry her, citing her form and mindset.
Former world No. 4 Greg Rusedski has argued that Alex Eala has little reason to be troubled by the demanding shape of her 2026 Cincinnati Open draw.
Eala, seeded 17th in Cincinnati, has opened with a first-round bye and is scheduled to meet world No. 74 Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round. If results follow the projected path, the world No. 20 would then run into Amanda Anisimova, the ninth seed and a two-time Grand Slam finalist, in the third round of the WTA 1000 tournament.
The 21-year-old Filipina arrives in Cincinnati with strong recent form behind her. She has won 10 of her last 12 matches and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and the Canadian Open either side of her title run at the Washington Open.
On the latest edition of his Off Court With Greg Rusedski podcast, the 1997 US Open finalist backed Eala to handle the situation, calling her “the one to look out for in Cincinnati.”
“Obviously Eala, even though she didn’t win the tournament (Canada) had a seven-match win streak on the WTA Tour, which was impressive,” said the 1997 US Open finalist.
“By match eight against [Belinda] Bencic, she ran out of gas a little bit. So, she’s the one to look out for in Cincinnati.”
Rusedski also discussed whether Eala could break into the top 10 of the WTA Rankings by the end of the US Open, while addressing the challenge of her Cincinnati assignment.
“Yeah, no question about it,” said the former British No 1.
“But why should she care whether she’s playing [Amanda] Anisimova, or whoever’s in the section?
“Look at the people she beat to win Washington — it was world-class players from start to finish. Then she goes to Toronto running on fumes and emotions and still wins a couple of matches, as well.
“So, I’m not worried about it. She competes, she fights, she’s so mentally tough that it doesn’t matter who’s in her way.
“You’ve got to play great tennis to beat her. And I see her only going one direction, and that’s up.”
Rusedski had already played down concerns about Eala’s workload before the US Open.
“I feel like physically she’s already in good shape, she’s strong mentally — the mind and body go hand in hand. And when you’re young, the body bounces back a lot quicker than when you get into your 30s and later years,” said Rusedski.
“So, I’m not worried about that. She’ll play Cincy, and then she’ll have a week off to prepare for the US Open. That’s what all the big names do, so for me, there’s no concern.”
ATP Tour Cincinnati Open
Cincinnati prize money gap highlights a familiar debate
Cincinnati’s prize money gap is back in focus as the women’s winner will earn less than the men.
The Cincinnati Open has opened with a prize money imbalance that is likely to draw attention throughout the event. The women’s champion will receive less than the men’s winner, despite both tournaments being played at the same venue.
That contrast sits against a wider discussion in tennis about revenue sharing at the biggest events. Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka have been among the leading voices calling for a bigger share of the money generated at Grand Slam tournaments, with some suggestions that top players could even consider missing the sport’s biggest events if they do not get the outcome they want.
The four Grand Slams do not have a gender pay issue, with the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open all offering equal prize money to men and women. That remains the case even though women play best-of-three-set matches while men compete over best-of-five sets.
At Grand Slams, the argument for parity is straightforward enough: fans and television viewers are watching both draws on the same courts. The same logic could be applied in Cincinnati, where ATP Tour and WTA Tour events are staged side by side. Yet the pay scales remain different.
The men’s champion in Cincinnati will earn $1,151,380, while the women’s champion will collect $1,085,220. The gap is partly linked to less lucrative broadcasting deals for women’s matches than men’s. Even so, this may be the final year of the discrepancy, with the WTA Tour having committed in 2023 to equal prize money at joint ATP and WTA Tour events by 2027.
As stated on the WTA website at the time: “One of the main pillars of the strategy includes creating a pathway toward equal prize money, a goal envisioned 50 years ago when Billie Jean King founded the WTA,”
“This increase will happen over time, to ensure the changes are sustainable for players and tournaments in the long term, with WTA 1000 and 500 combined events attaining equal prize money by 2027 and single-week WTA 1000 and 500 events by 2033.”
The Cincinnati men are also playing best-of-three matches, which makes the prize money difference stand out even more clearly.
Cincinnati Open
Sabalenka, Rybakina and Swiatek learn Cincinnati paths for 2026 WTA 1000 event
Sabalenka, Rybakina, Gauff and Swiatek know their projected Cincinnati Open 2026 routes.
Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Alex Eala and several other leading WTA players now know the possible routes ahead of the 2026 Cincinnati Open.
Main draw action at the 98th staging of the women’s tournament in Cincinnati is scheduled to start on Thursday 13 August, with the final set for Sunday 23 August. The WTA 1000 event, held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, remains one of the major stops on the North American hard-court swing that leads into the US Open.
Swiatek arrives as the defending champion after beating Jasmine Paolini in the 2025 title match. Paolini is one of six players who withdrew from the Cincinnati entry list, alongside Karolina Muchova, Victoria Mboko, Emma Raducanu, Hailey Baptiste and Jacqueline Cristian.
The draw includes 96 players, with 32 seeds receiving byes into the second round. The top eight seeds are Sabalenka, Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, Linda Noskova, Swiatek and Elina Svitolina.
Sabalenka, the top seed, will open against Talia Gibson or a qualifier, with a possible third-round meeting against Donna Vekic. From there, the projected route points to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round and either Svitolina or 11th seed Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals.
Gauff and Andreeva, seeded fourth and fifth, are on a projected collision course in the quarter-finals. The winner of that matchup could then face Sabalenka in the semi-finals.
In the same section of the draw, ninth seed Amanda Anisimova and 17th seed Eala are projected to meet in round three, with Noskova potentially waiting in the last 16 and Pegula next in the quarter-finals. In the bottom quarter, second seed Rybakina and seventh seed Swiatek are projected for a marquee last-eight meeting.
WTA Cincinnati Open 2026 projected quarter-finals:
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs Elina Svitolina (8)
Coco Gauff (4) vs Mirra Andreeva (5)
Linda Noskova (6) vs Jessica Pegula (3)
Iga Swiatek (7) vs Elena Rybakina (2)
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Alex Eala defines success for Cincinnati as she prepares for tournament debut
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