Alex Eala eyes much-needed me time ahead of Cincinnati Open

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines acknowledges the crowd after losing to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during day eight of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 09, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

MANILA, Philippines–There’s no rest for the weary. That old adage has never rung truer for Alex Eala at the moment.

After a grueling stretch playing highly competitive tennis for nearly two weeks straight that ended in the Canadian Open round of 16 on Monday, Eala heads to the next stop of her hard court swing in Ohio for the Cincinnati Open.

Eala will have a short turnaround from Toronto to Cincinnati, where she is making her debut at the WTA 1000 tournament after pulling out last year due to a shoulder injury.

Still, the Filipino sensation will try to squeeze in some me time before returning to action. Luckily for her, being the World No. 20 means she will be seeded in Cincinnati and will get a first-round bye.

“I definitely will take maybe two days off, a day or two. I do have to travel to Cincinnati. I need to get a haircut. I haven’t gotten a haircut in a while. My nails are grown out,” she said with a laugh following a 4-6, 0-6 loss to an in-form Belinda Bencic at Sobeys Stadium – Center court.

“I’ll do a couple things, just to get my mind off tennis. Yeah, reunite maybe with some friends in Cincinnati, and just try to have fun. I’ll be back on court like that, so I got to enjoy what I have. I got to enjoy the time that I have that I’m not on court,” added Eala, who snapped her fingers mid-sentence to emphasize how little time she has before she gets back on the court.

It’s been a hectic but gratifying North American swing so far for Eala, who won her first WTA Tour title in Washington last week.

Eala had reeled off a career-best seven consecutive wins, including a gutsy win over American Caty McNally in the round of 32 on Saturday despite rolling her right ankle in the second set, before her run came to a screeching halt against Bencic.

“It’s always tough, of course, after a loss. But like I said, I’m looking back at these past two weeks as a really big positive. I think I’ve played really well. I’ve gotten through so many obstacles,” she said. “Of course, right now there’s that initial, just kind of a little tired and down from the match.”

“But I mean, I’m healthy, which is something I’m super grateful for. It’s something that’s obviously on the top of my priority all the time. So, yeah, I’m counting my blessings. I’m taking the lessons that I’ve had from these two weeks and hopefully implementing them even more in a better way in Cincinnati and New York.”