Alex Eala has another huge match coming up at the 2026 Cincinnati Open, and this time, the player waiting on the other side of the net is one of the most dangerous ball-strikers in women’s tennis.
Her name is Amanda Anisimova.
The American star will face Eala in the third round or Round of 32 in Cincinnati after both players successfully navigated their opening matches. Anisimova, the tournament’s No. 9 seed, defeated Zeynep Sonmez 6-2, 6-3, while No. 17 seed Eala advanced after Elena-Gabriela Ruse retired with an ankle injury while trailing 6-1, 3-0. The WTA has confirmed that Eala and Anisimova will meet for the first time in their careers.
And if you’re wondering whether this is a serious test for Alex, the answer is definitely yes.
Anisimova is a former World No. 3, a two-time Grand Slam finalist and a two-time WTA 1000 champion. She reached both the Wimbledon and US Open finals in 2025, won major titles in Doha and Beijing that same season, and currently sits at World No. 10.
At the same time, Alex has been playing some of the best tennis of her career.
So who exactly is Amanda Anisimova, and what makes her such a dangerous opponent for Alex Eala?
Here’s a closer look.
Content
Who Is Amanda Anisimova?
Amanda Anisimova is an American professional tennis player and one of the most accomplished players of her generation.
She is 24 years old, stands 5-foot-11 or 1.80 meters, and plays right-handed. Her official WTA profile currently lists her at World No. 10, while her career-high ranking is World No. 3.
Here are the basics:
Full name: Amanda Anisimova
Country: United States 🇺🇸
Birthday: August 31, 2001
Age: 24
Height: 5’11” / 1.80 meters
Plays: Right-handed
Current WTA ranking: No. 10
Career-high ranking: No. 3
Career WTA singles titles: 4
Grand Slam finals: 2
2026 record: 17-10
2026 titles: 0
Current coach: Hendrik Vleeshouwers
Even before becoming one of the world’s best professional players, Anisimova was already considered an exceptional young talent.
She won the 2017 US Open girls’ singles championship, defeating a young Coco Gauff in the final, and reached as high as No. 2 in the junior rankings.
But her professional breakthrough didn’t take long either.
Anisimova Was a Teenage Tennis Sensation
Anisimova made headlines very early in her career.
In 2018, when she was still just 16, she defeated Petra Kvitova at Indian Wells and became one of the youngest players ever to reach the tournament’s Round of 16.
Then came an even bigger breakthrough.
At 17 years old, Anisimova won her first WTA singles title at the 2019 Copa Colsanitas in Bogota. She became the youngest American woman to win a WTA title since Serena Williams had done so at Indian Wells in 1999.
But that wasn’t even her biggest achievement that year.
A few months later, Anisimova produced a stunning run at Roland Garros.
She Reached the Roland Garros Semifinals at Just 17
Anisimova’s 2019 French Open run immediately announced her as a potential future Grand Slam champion.
She reached the semifinals without dropping a set and defeated defending champion and then-World No. 3 Simona Halep in the quarterfinals.
That made Anisimova the first player born in the 2000s—man or woman—to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.
Think about that.
At an age when most players are still figuring out how to compete consistently at Tour level, Anisimova was already one victory away from playing for a Grand Slam championship.
Her career didn’t follow a perfectly straight line after that breakthrough, but the talent was obvious.
And several years later, she would finally turn that potential into something even bigger.
Amanda Anisimova’s Incredible 2025 Season
If you want to understand why Anisimova is such a dangerous opponent for Alex Eala, you really need to look at what happened in 2025.
It was the season that completely changed her career.
Anisimova went 47-18, won two WTA 1000 tournaments, reached two Grand Slam finals and finished the season ranked World No. 4. The WTA named her its Most Improved Player of 2025.
She didn’t just improve gradually.
She suddenly became one of the best players in women’s tennis.
She Won Her First WTA 1000 Title in Doha
The breakthrough started at the 2025 Qatar Open in Doha.
Anisimova entered the tournament ranked outside the world’s Top 40 and unseeded.
She left as a WTA 1000 champion.
She defeated several higher-ranked opponents during the tournament before beating Jelena Ostapenko in the final to capture what was then the biggest title of her career.
That championship was a warning that something had changed.
Anisimova wasn’t simply a talented player capable of producing the occasional upset anymore.
She was becoming someone who could survive an entire week against elite competition and actually win the tournament.
Then Came the Wimbledon Final
Anisimova’s career reached another level at Wimbledon 2025.
She made her first Grand Slam final after defeating then-World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals.
Anisimova ultimately lost to Iga Swiatek in the championship match, but simply reaching the final was a huge breakthrough.
For many players, one Grand Slam final in a season would already be the highlight of their career.
Anisimova wasn’t finished.
She Reached Another Grand Slam Final at the US Open
Just weeks later, Anisimova reached another major championship match—this time at the 2025 US Open.
Her run included victories over Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka before she eventually lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
That meant Anisimova had reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Suddenly, she wasn’t simply a former teenage prodigy anymore.
She was one of the leading players in women’s tennis.
Then She Won Beijing Too
As if two Grand Slam finals and a WTA 1000 title weren’t enough, Anisimova added another major championship late in the season.
At the 2025 China Open in Beijing, she defeated Linda Noskova 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 in the final to claim her second WTA 1000 title of the year.
The Beijing title gave her four career WTA singles championships:
- Bogota — 2019
- Melbourne Summer Set — 2022
- Doha — 2025
- Beijing — 2025
She also became the first American woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to win multiple WTA 1000 titles in the same season.
That is some serious company.
Anisimova Beat Elite Players Repeatedly in 2025
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Anisimova’s 2025 season wasn’t any individual tournament.
It was the number of elite players she defeated.
The WTA reported that she recorded 10 victories over Top 10 opponents during the season and defeated all four reigning Grand Slam champions at some point during the year.
She also developed a reputation for surviving difficult matches.
At one point, she won 13 consecutive three-set matches across Grand Slams, WTA 1000s and WTA 500 events.
That tells you something important about the opponent Alex is about to face.
Anisimova isn’t simply powerful.
She has become much better at competing when matches become uncomfortable.
Amanda Anisimova Reached World No. 3
Her extraordinary 2025 season sent Anisimova into the world’s elite.
She finished 2025 ranked World No. 4, then reached a career-high World No. 3 in January 2026.
She has since dropped back to No. 10, but that ranking shouldn’t obscure what she has already proven she can do.
We’re talking about a player who was among the world’s top three only months ago.
How Has Amanda Anisimova Played in 2026?
This season has been more complicated.
The WTA currently lists Anisimova with a 17-10 record in 2026 and no singles titles, which is obviously a quieter season compared with her extraordinary 2025 campaign.
Still, there have been some encouraging results.
She reached the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time early in the year. That added Melbourne to a Grand Slam résumé that already included her Roland Garros semifinal and the Wimbledon and US Open finals.
But injuries then interrupted her momentum.
A Wrist Injury Disrupted Her Season
Anisimova withdrew from Charleston after suffering an injury during the Miami Open, and she later missed much of the clay-court season because of a left wrist injury.
She spent roughly two months away from competition before returning at Roland Garros.
In her first match back, she defeated Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-3, 6-1, but she was eventually eliminated in the third round by Diane Parry. Anisimova said afterward that her wrist was feeling fine after several matches, which was at least an encouraging physical sign.
The injury helps explain why her 2026 results haven’t quite matched the incredible standard she set last year.
But Cincinnati is now giving her another opportunity to rebuild momentum on hard courts.
Anisimova Looked Strong in Her Cincinnati Opener
Anisimova received a first-round bye in Cincinnati because she’s the No. 9 seed.
Her opening match came against Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez.
The American won comfortably:
6-2, 6-3.
The match lasted 1 hour and 16 minutes, sending Anisimova into the third round and setting up the showdown with Eala.
That’s an important result for Alex’s team to study.
Anisimova didn’t need three sets.
She wasn’t pushed into a marathon.
She should arrive at the Eala match reasonably fresh.
Alex is in a similar situation because her match against Ruse ended early.
So fatigue shouldn’t be an obvious excuse for either player.
What Kind of Tennis Does Amanda Anisimova Play?
If you’re watching Anisimova for the first time, one thing will probably become obvious very quickly:
She hits the ball hard.
Anisimova is an aggressive baseline player who likes to take the ball early and control points from close to the baseline.
She doesn’t necessarily need a short ball to produce a winner.
That’s part of what makes her dangerous.
The WTA has highlighted her ability to turn seemingly neutral rallies into attacking situations, especially with her backhand.
And that brings us to perhaps her biggest weapon.
Her Backhand Is One of the Best in Women’s Tennis
Anisimova’s two-handed backhand is the shot most closely associated with her game.
She can hit it extremely hard.
She can take it early.
And she can change direction down the line without much warning.
During the 2025 US Open, WTA analysis noted that Anisimova’s average backhand speed reached 77 mph, faster than the average backhand speeds recorded by the men’s finalists at that tournament.
That’s remarkable.
It also tells Alex exactly what she doesn’t want to do:
Allow Anisimova to stand comfortably on the baseline and repeatedly strike backhands from balanced positions.
If that happens, points can disappear very quickly.
Anisimova Is Dangerous From Both Wings
The backhand gets most of the attention, but Anisimova isn’t a one-shot player.
Her forehand can also generate tremendous pace, and her 5-foot-11 frame helps her create power on serve.
The real danger comes when she starts combining everything.
A strong serve produces a short return.
Then comes the first aggressive groundstroke.
Suddenly, the opponent is defending before the rally has really begun.
The WTA has described the improved version of Anisimova as a player whose game is built heavily around first-strike efficiency—using the serve and return to gain control early in points.
That could become one of the biggest tactical battles against Alex.
Where Could Alex Eala Trouble Anisimova?
For all of Anisimova’s power, Alex brings a very different set of problems.
Eala is left-handed.
She moves extremely well.
She can create unusual angles.
And she has increasingly shown an ability to absorb powerful shots and redirect them.
That makes this a fascinating matchup.
Alex probably doesn’t want to simply stand in the middle of the court trading flat groundstrokes with Anisimova.
That’s playing directly into the American’s strengths.
Instead, one logical approach would be to make Anisimova move.
Use angles.
Change direction.
Mix up the height of the ball.
Force her to hit while stretched rather than allowing her to constantly plant her feet and unload.
That’s a tactical inference based on the strengths the WTA has identified in Anisimova’s first-strike and backhand game.
Alex’s Left-Handed Serve Could Be Important
Being left-handed gives Alex another potential weapon.
A left-handed serve naturally creates different angles, particularly when serving wide from the ad court.
If Alex can use that effectively, she may be able to pull Anisimova away from the center of the court before attacking the open space.
But placement will matter more than simply hitting hard.
Anisimova is an aggressive returner.
If Alex leaves too many second serves sitting in comfortable positions, the American is capable of attacking immediately.
So watch Alex’s second serve carefully.
It could become one of the most important shots in the match.
The Return Battle Could Decide a Lot
Alex’s return game was impressive before Ruse retired from their Cincinnati match.
Eala had already taken command and was leading 6-1, 3-0, extending her North American hard-court run to eight wins in nine matches.
Against Anisimova, returning well becomes even more important.
If Alex can neutralize the American’s first serve and make points begin in relatively neutral positions, she gives herself a much better chance.
If Anisimova consistently gets an easy first strike after serving?
That’s when things could become difficult very quickly.
Amanda Anisimova vs. Alex Eala: They’ve Never Played Before
This is perhaps one of the most exciting things about the matchup.
There is no previous head-to-head history.
The WTA explicitly confirmed that Cincinnati will be the first meeting between Eala and Anisimova.
That means both players have to figure things out in real time.
Alex hasn’t personally experienced Anisimova’s pace before.
Anisimova hasn’t personally dealt with Alex’s left-handed patterns either.
Sometimes first-time matchups become tactical chess matches.
Sometimes one player immediately finds something that works.
Those opening few games could be especially revealing.
Comparing Alex Eala and Amanda Anisimova
On paper, Anisimova has the stronger career résumé.
She’s reached World No. 3.
She’s played in two Grand Slam finals.
She’s won four WTA titles, including two WTA 1000 championships.
Alex, however, comes into Cincinnati with excellent recent form.
The WTA says Eala has won eight of her past nine matches during the North American hard-court swing, which includes her historic Washington championship, a Round-of-16 run in Toronto and now her first career Cincinnati victory.
So this isn’t simply an accomplished Top 10 player facing an inexperienced outsider.
Alex is playing like someone who belongs in these matches.
Amanda Anisimova’s Current Profile
Here’s a quick snapshot of Alex Eala’s next opponent:
Amanda Anisimova 🇺🇸
Age: 24
Height: 5’11” / 1.80 m
Plays: Right-handed
Current WTA ranking: No. 10
Career-high ranking: No. 3
2026 record: 17-10
2026 titles: 0
Career singles titles: 4
Grand Slam finals: Wimbledon 2025, US Open 2025
Grand Slam semifinal: Roland Garros 2019
WTA 1000 titles: Doha 2025, Beijing 2025
Cincinnati seed: No. 9
Latest result: Defeated Zeynep Sonmez 6-2, 6-3
Next opponent: Alex Eala 🇵🇭
Head-to-head with Eala: 0-0 / first meeting
That’s an impressive résumé for someone who is still only 24.
Is Amanda Anisimova the Favorite Against Alex Eala?
Based on ranking and career achievements, Anisimova should probably be considered the favorite on paper.
She’s World No. 10.
Alex is officially World No. 20.
Anisimova has already reached multiple Grand Slam finals and won two WTA 1000 titles.
But this isn’t the kind of match where ranking alone tells the whole story.
Anisimova’s 2026 season has been interrupted by injury, and she currently has a 17-10 record with no titles this year.
Alex, meanwhile, arrives during one of the hottest stretches of her career.
That’s why this feels like a genuine contest rather than simply a match Alex is hoping to survive.
Why This Match Is Such a Good Test for Alex
Amanda Anisimova represents almost exactly the level Alex needs to compete against regularly if she wants to move from the Top 20 toward the Top 10.
She’s powerful.
She’s experienced.
She’s played major finals.
She’s been ranked in the world’s Top 3.
And when her game starts clicking, she can take the racket out of an opponent’s hands.
That’s what makes this matchup so useful as a measuring stick.
How will Alex respond to Anisimova’s pace?
Can she defend without becoming passive?
Can she turn defense into attack?
Can she keep Anisimova away from comfortable hitting positions?
Those questions tell us a lot more than simply looking at the final score.
Anisimova Won’t Be Taking Alex Lightly Either
There’s also another side to this matchup.
Alex isn’t an unknown player anymore.
She’s a WTA champion and the No. 17 seed in Cincinnati.
She’s won eight of her past nine matches.
So Anisimova knows exactly what kind of challenge is coming.
That matters.
Earlier in Alex’s rise, some higher-ranked players may have walked onto the court without knowing quite what to expect.
Those days are disappearing.
Players now prepare specifically for Alex Eala.
They study her serve.
They study her left-handed patterns.
They know about her recent results.
That’s another sign of how far Alex has come.
What’s at Stake in Eala vs. Anisimova?
The winner advances to the Round of 16 of the Cincinnati Open, one of the biggest WTA 1000 events of the North American hard-court season.
For Anisimova, it would be another step toward rebuilding the kind of momentum she enjoyed in 2025.
For Alex, it would be another statement victory during an already remarkable stretch.
And because Anisimova is currently ranked inside the Top 10, defeating her would give Alex another major win against elite opposition.
Either way, this feels like an important match for both.
Final Thoughts
Amanda Anisimova is easily one of the toughest opponents Alex Eala could have drawn at this stage of Cincinnati.
She’s only 24, but her résumé already includes achievements many players never reach.
World No. 3.
Two Grand Slam finals.
Two WTA 1000 titles.
Four career singles championships.
And one of the most dangerous backhands in women’s tennis.
Her 2026 season hasn’t been as smooth.
A left wrist injury interrupted her year, she has fallen to World No. 10, and she’s still searching for her first title of the season.
But don’t mistake that for weakness.
Anisimova remains capable of producing elite tennis on any given day.
She reminded everyone of that in her Cincinnati opener, beating Zeynep Sonmez 6-2, 6-3 to book this matchup with Alex.
For Filipino fans, however, there’s plenty of reason to be excited rather than intimidated.
Alex is playing confidently.
She’s won eight of her last nine matches.
She’s now a WTA champion herself.
And she has reached the point where facing a former World No. 3 in the third round of a WTA 1000 tournament doesn’t feel like some impossible assignment anymore.
It feels like the next test.
Amanda Anisimova vs. Alex Eala.
World No. 10 against World No. 20.
No. 9 seed against No. 17 seed.
Power against movement, aggressive first-strike tennis against Alex’s left-handed variety.
And for the first time ever, they’re going to see what happens when those two games collide.
For Alex Eala, getting past Anisimova would mean a place in the Cincinnati Open Round of 16.
For Filipino tennis fans, it could mean another memorable chapter in a season that already seems to keep producing them.
