{"id":2093686,"date":"2026-08-14T17:30:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T14:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2093686"},"modified":"2026-08-14T17:30:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T14:30:43","slug":"alex-ealas-full-press-conference-as-she-reveals-what-would-make-a-successful-cincinnati-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2093686","title":{"rendered":"Alex Eala&#8217;s full press conference as she reveals what would make a &#8216;successful&#8217; Cincinnati Open"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">Alex Eala\u2019s full press conference as she reveals what would make a \u2018successful\u2019 Cincinnati Open<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/ewan-west\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Ewan West                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"14 Aug 2026 6:30 PM\" data-ps-date=\"14 Aug 2026 6:30 PM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1786728643\"><br \/>\n                            14 Aug 2026 6:30 PM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_dark.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" 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                   <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_dark.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 dark:hidden h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_light.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <button id=\"t365-article-share-btn-hidden\" class=\"mr-2 hidden h-6 w-6 appearance-none border-none !text-share-icon outline-none hover:!text-share-icon-active sm:hidden\" data-title=\"Alex Eala\u2019s full press conference as she reveals what would make a \u2018successful\u2019 Cincinnati Open\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Alex-Eala-speaks-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Alex Eala at a press conference\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                Alex Eala speaks to the media                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\"><!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p>Alex Eala has revealed what would make a \u201csuccessful\u201d 2026 Cincinnati Open campaign as she looked ahead to her debut at the WTA 1000 event.<\/p>\n<p>World No 20 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/alex-eala\">Eala<\/a> arrives in Cincinnati after reaching the fourth round at the Canadian Open and winning the Washington Open in a strong start to the North American hard-court season.<\/p>\n<p>The 21-year-old Filipina will play world No 74 Elena-Gabriela Ruse in her opening match in Cincinnati.<\/p>\n<p>Here is everything Eala said at her pre-tournament press conference.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q.<\/strong> Alex, it\u2019s your first time at the Cincinnati Open. You want to just tell everybody what it feels like your first day or so here?<\/p>\n<p><strong>EALA:<\/strong> Yes, 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\u2019s not concrete and it doesn\u2019t give you any hundred percent answers, right? So momentum can help. A lot of matches can help with your confidence, but it doesn\u2019t guarantee anything.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q.<\/strong> Alex, what would you say has been the most surreal moment of the last couple months?<\/p>\n<p><strong>EALA: <\/strong>It\u2019s very difficult to pick. It\u2019s very very difficult to pick. I mean, 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\u2019ll never forget and it was my first win on Centre. So, crazy, crazy experience and, of course, everyone says you\u2019ll never forget your first title. So, it\u2019s like kind of like my two babies if you want to pick.<\/p>\n<h2>Alex Eala News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/alex-eala-cincinnati-open-draw-ranking-greg-rusedski\"><strong>Alex Eala \u2018shouldn\u2019t care\u2019 about tough Cincinnati Open draw, says Grand Slam finalist<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-features\/legendary-coach-almost-impossible-alex-eala-roger-federer-comparison-dismissed\"><strong>Legendary coach makes \u2018almost impossible\u2019 claim about Alex Eala as Roger Federer comparison dismissed<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Want more from Tennis365? Add us as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. <\/strong>If you had to speak on what is sort of the essence or the heart of Filipinos. How would you explain?<\/p>\n<p><strong>EALA: <\/strong>Wow, loaded question. Very loaded question. I think there are a couple words that come to mind, but I mean with that being said, keep in mind that no culture can be summed up in just a couple of words. I think Filipino culture and just every culture in general is very layered and it\u2019s ever evolving\u2026 so, when I think of Filipino culture what comes to mind is community, family, hospitality love, kindness. So, just a couple words. Those are good words. Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. <\/strong>Are you familiar or do you know anything about what the Filipino presence and culture is like in the Midwest here in the US at all?<\/p>\n<p><strong>EALA: <\/strong>This is my first time. Well, I\u2019m not sure what encompasses the Midwest, but I guess that\u2019s the great thing about traveling being such a big part of my job is that I\u2019m always learning new things and I\u2019m always learning and meeting new people. So, I get to learn about their culture and different things like that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. <\/strong>Do you have a favourite place that you\u2019ve seen in the Cincinnati area aside from the tennis centre?<\/p>\n<p><strong>EALA: <\/strong>It\u2019s really the only place I\u2019ve been at. So, maybe if you ask me at the end of the week, I\u2019ll have an answer for you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. <\/strong>There\u2019s not as many people who get to see how it looks like in the Philippines, what your impact looks like there. And you visited there a month ago or something like that. Can you talk about what that experience was like? What did you see?<\/p>\n<p><strong>EALA: <\/strong>It was incredible. I think because I\u2019m always traveling and I\u2019m on tour, I\u2019m quite out of touch sometimes with what my impact is back home. For the good and the bad. I think that\u2019s why I said like a couple of times that when I went back home, it really opened my eyes. I think it\u2019s, of course I hear about it, I see it in social media, but I think to experience it first-hand and to interact with the people who support me, and I\u2019ve heard a couple sentences from them, is enough to see a glimpse into their stories or how tennis has impacted their lives or how being Filipino and their pride has affected them personally. So, I think it\u2019s crazy how inspiration can affect other people to what depths. And that\u2019s one thing that I\u2019ve learned and I\u2019ve realised going back home. Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. <\/strong>I\u2019m sure you grew up knowing what [Manny] Pacquiao meant to the Philippines. Hearing kind of that comparison, is there pressure?<\/p>\n<p><strong>EALA: <\/strong>Pacquiao is such a sporting legend for us Filipinos now and he\u2019s done a lot for us athletes I think to pave the way. I mean, it never really crossed my mind when I was watching his fights back home that one day I would be compared to him. No. And I think the feeling that Pacquiao gave the Filipinos was great to have someone to rally over, and when he would have fights, everyone was so excited and it was just a chance for people to come together. And I guess my journey has similar things or can give similar things like that. So, I mean, it\u2019s very flattering to be to be compared to him. But at the same time, I think they are also two unique journeys. They\u2019re two very different journeys. So, one I don\u2019t think one takes away from the other. I think I\u2019m still very, very far from the levels of Pacquiao. But I think they\u2019re beautiful, they both have their own beautiful set of characteristics. Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. <\/strong>Do you believe in momentum? Is that something that you\u2019ve bought into throughout your playing career, or your stance on that word in general?<\/p>\n<p><strong>EALA: <\/strong>I mean, momentum exists. Momentum is a thing I guess, but it\u2019s not concrete and it doesn\u2019t give you any 100% answers, right? So, momentum can help, a lot of matches can help, with your confidence, but it doesn\u2019t guarantee anything.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q.<\/strong> What would make a successful week here, in your mind?<\/p>\n<p><strong>EALA:<\/strong> I think it\u2019s just the level that I play. And of course, the more matches, the merrier, right? But it\u2019s the matches of substance and it\u2019s the ones that\u2026 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\u2019s a really good match, not to say that it\u2019s a successful week, but it wasn\u2019t a bad one. And if I reach the final, then I\u2019ll take that too (laughs).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q.<\/strong> What kind of preparation goes into playing at a site in a city that you\u2019ve never even visited before?<\/p>\n<p><strong>EALA: <\/strong>I kind of go with the flow. Yeah. I think at the end of the day, it\u2019s the same lines, the same size ball. So, I guess, of course each city brings, and the crowds especially, bring different energy, I think, but when you\u2019re on court and you know what you have to do, nothing changes much.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q.<\/strong> You\u2019re so young and so new to this still, but this spotlight that\u2019s been thrust upon you, just talk about the weight of it, is it heavy for you, or is it just fun at this point?<\/p>\n<p><strong>EALA: <\/strong>I think it can be both, no? There are moments where it\u2019s heavy. There are moments where it\u2019s fun. But at the end of the day, I am also aware that it\u2019s a crazy experience, so I\u2019m just trying to take it all in. I know also that I wouldn\u2019t be having these experiences if I didn\u2019t do all the work that I did beforehand. So, I know that I won\u2019t continue to experience it if I don\u2019t continue that work. But yeah, I think it\u2019s really helped me develop as a person and just see things from a different perspective. It\u2019s allowed me to mature a lot. And yeah, it\u2019s taught me a lot of lessons, but also given me so much joy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/iga-swiatek-angry-message-critics-canadian-open-title\">Iga Swiatek reveals why she was \u2018angry\u2019 after calling out critics following Canadian Open win<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End --><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alex Eala\u2019s full press conference as she reveals what would make a \u2018successful\u2019 Cincinnati Open Ewan West 14 Aug 2026 6:30 PM Alex Eala speaks to the media Alex Eala has revealed what would make a \u201csuccessful\u201d 2026 Cincinnati Open campaign as she looked ahead to her debut at the WTA 1000 event. World No [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-2093686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2093686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2093686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2093686\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2093686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2093686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2093686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}