Alex Eala advances to Cincinnati Open third round after Elena-Gabriela Ruse retires mid-match

Alexandra "Alex" Eala was off to a flying start in her WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open debut, leading Elena-Gabriela Ruse, 6-1, 3-0, in the Round of 64 before the Romanian retired due to an apparent injury on Saturday at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

The Filipina tennis star will now advance to the Round of 32 as she looks to bounce back from a fourth-round exit in the Canadian Open.

Eala endured a slow start after Ruse claimed the extended opening game.

However, the 21-year-old Filipina quickly found her rhythm, rattling off the next six games, including a sweep in the fourth and a comeback victory in the fifth.

With her confidence soaring, Eala turned the second set into a showcase of her dominance after unleashing a backhand winner to storm to a 3-0 advantage.

However, the momentum was briefly halted when Ruse called for a medical timeout to have her right ankle taped. The match resumed, but play was later suspended again due to lightning and rain, with Eala holding a 30-0 lead in the fourth game.

The match was expected to resume around an hour after the suspension, but Ruse eventually retired.

Alex Eala's Season recap (singles)

North American swing

• Canadian Open — Round of 16
• DC Open — Champion

Grass-court swing

• Wimbledon (Grand Slam) — Round of 16
• Bad Homburg Open (WTA 500) — Round of 32
• Berlin Tennis Open (WTA 500) — Semifinals
• HSBC Championships (WTA 500) — Round of 16
• Birmingham Open (WTA 125) — Champion

Clay-court swing

• French Open (Grand Slam) — Round of 128
• Italian Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 32
• Madrid Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 64
• Stuttgart Open (WTA 500) — Round of 32
• Linz Open (WTA 500) — Round of 16

Sunshine Swing

• Miami Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 16
• Indian Wells Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 16

Middle East Swing

• Dubai Tennis Championships (WTA 1000) — Quarterfinals
• Qatar Open (WTA 1000) — Round of 64
• Abu Dhabi Open (WTA 500) — Quarterfinals

Philippine Women’s Open (WTA 125) — Quarterfinals

Australian Swing

• Australian Open (Grand Slam) — Round of 128
• ASB Classic (WTA 250) — Semifinals

—JKC, GMA News