{"id":2095565,"date":"2026-08-15T20:15:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T17:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2095565"},"modified":"2026-08-15T20:15:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T17:15:32","slug":"alex-eala-is-a-problem-for-her-wta-rivals-says-former-world-no-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2095565","title":{"rendered":"Alex Eala is a &#8216;problem&#8217; for her WTA rivals, says former world No 11"},"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 is a \u2018problem\u2019 for her WTA rivals, says former world No 11<\/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=\"15 Aug 2026 9:15 PM\" data-ps-date=\"15 Aug 2026 9:15 PM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1786824932\"><br \/>\n                            15 Aug 2026 9:15 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\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto 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space-x-5\">\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\" 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 is a \u2018problem\u2019 for her WTA rivals, says former world No 11\"><\/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-smiling-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Alex Eala in Cincinnati\">                <\/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 smiling                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\"><!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p>A former world No 11 has declared that Alex Eala might be \u201cthe biggest star in tennis right now\u201d and argued the Filipina star is \u201ca problem for the rest of the field.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/alex-eala\">Eala<\/a> continued her excellent run of form by defeating world No 74 Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round of the Cincinnati Open.<\/p>\n<p>The world No 20, who is making her debut in Cincinnati, was leading 6-1, 3-0 against Ruse when the 28-year-old Romanian retired due to an injury.<\/p>\n<p>The 21-year-old now holds a 8-1 record in the North American summer hard-court season, having won the Washington Open and made the last 16 in Toronto.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking on the Tennis Channel Live desk in Cincinnati, Sam Querrey lauded Eala and said she \u201ccould win every tournament she signs up for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt continues. She is such a superstar. We were talking about this during her match now. Is she the biggest star in tennis right now? I kind of think maybe she is. She\u2019s playing like it right now,\u201d said the American.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s definitely in that group right now, I think, of ten women that you could say could win every tournament she signs up for.<\/p>\n<h2>WTA Tour News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/alex-eala-cincinnati-open-win-wta-rankings-jump-next-opponent\"><strong>Alex Eala +3 in WTA Rankings after Cincinnati Open win as her next opponent is confirmed<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/coco-gauff-outlines-what-she-wants-to-achieve-2026-season\"><strong>Coco Gauff outlines what she wants to achieve before the 2026 season is finished<\/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>\u201cIt\u2019s no longer hype. She is backing up the results tournament after tournament after tournament.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou might have thought after Miami, was it last year, where she had the run? Maybe the ranking will dive off a little bit. It hasn\u2019t, it just keeps going up. The big, massive win in D.C. two weeks ago, played well in Canada last week. Off to a hot start here, so she\u2019s here to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The former ATP Tour star hailed the way Eala is handling the pressure that comes with her huge fanbase.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s got extra pressure on her every tournament, and her court is packed with \u2014 not only Filipino fans \u2014 but just fans from all over the world at this point,\u201d said Querrey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd for a lot of players, that can be difficult. Sometimes, it\u2019s tough as a player when the crowd is cheering for you all the time. You feel like you owe it to the crowd to win, and you want to play well for them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes, it\u2019s easier for a player to play in a crowded stadium where everyone\u2019s cheering against you.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd so for her, she\u2019s playing well, she\u2019s doing it in front of her fans, and she seems to be embracing kind of this superstardom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Querrey added: \u201cShe\u2019s still young, she\u2019s gonna continue to get better. That\u2019s a problem for the rest of the field, right? And you love to see that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s not only becoming a superstar in the game. She\u2019s not only putting up the results, but in the things that you don\u2019t see, the work off the court, the work and the practice on the court, she\u2019s starting to improve parts of her game, which is also a great sign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/aryna-sabalenka-loses-no-1-ranking-marta-kostyuk-alex-eala-alternative-tennis-rankings\">Aryna Sabalenka replaced as No 1 as Alex Eala 23rd in alternative tennis rankings<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End --><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alex Eala is a \u2018problem\u2019 for her WTA rivals, says former world No 11 Ewan West 15 Aug 2026 9:15 PM Alex Eala smiling A former world No 11 has declared that Alex Eala might be \u201cthe biggest star in tennis right now\u201d and argued the Filipina star is \u201ca problem for the rest of [&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-2095565","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\/2095565","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=2095565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2095565\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2095565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2095565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2095565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}