Alex Eala earns Cincinnati Open first-round bye

Filipina tennis star Alex Eala will continue her North American hard-court campaign at the Cincinnati Open as the No. 17 seed, earning a first-round bye in the WTA 1000 tournament.

The world No. 20 will face either Poland’s Magda Linette or Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.

The bye gives Eala additional recovery time following a demanding two-week stretch in which she captured the Mubadala DC Open title and advanced to the Round of 16 at the National Bank Open in Toronto.

Eala’s run included victories over Zheng Qinwen, Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka and Alycia Parks, among others.

The Cincinnati Open is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States still contested in its original city, making it one of the most historic stops on the WTA calendar.

The tournament became a WTA 1000 event in 2009.

Its expanded draw features 96 singles players and 32 doubles teams competing for 1,000 PIF WTA ranking points.

The Cincinnati Open is considered the third-largest tennis tournament in the United States, behind only the US Open and Miami Open. WTA

Eala shares her section of the draw with Zeynep Sönmez, Daria Kasatkina and ninth-seeded Amanda Anisimova.

Sixth-seeded Linda Noskova, No. 27 Clara Tauson and wildcard Katie Volynets are also on Eala’s side of the draw.

The bracket presents a possible quarterfinal rematch between Eala and third-seeded Jessica Pegula.

Eala defeated Pegula in the Mubadala DC Open final to secure the Washington title.

Main-draw competition begins Aug. 13 and concludes Aug. 23, giving players one final major hard-court test before the US Open. WTA

Before traveling to Cincinnati, Eala spent time off the court with Coco Gauff over dinner and filmed TikTok content with the American star in Toronto.