The Cincinnati Masters was beginning at the same time as the Canadian Masters was coming to a conclusion and the decision was made to skip the First Round at this next 1000 event and then get back into the preparation for the US Open once the Seeded players entered the tournament.
On Saturday, those Seeded players are getting their tournaments underway in both ATP and WTA events being played here over the next week.
Most of the top names will be looking to lay down a marker for the US Open, but conditions in Cincinnati tend to be faster than most during this portion of the hard court season and so it is a challenge for all competing right after the tournaments in Canada.
Despite that, players will not be looking to make excuses, but instead show they are ready to compete at the last Grand Slam of the season, which is getting underway at the end of the month.
Alexandra Eala - 3.5 games v Elena Gabriela Ruse: After winning the title in Washington, Alexandra Eala put together a decent run in Toronto at the Canadian Masters, but looked like she was running on fumes by the end of her time at that event.
The Fourth Round loss would not have been easily accepted, but it has given Eala a bit of time to rest and recover before taking in this next WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati.
This is the last tournament Alexandra Eala is going to be taking in before the US Open and so she can put everything into matches on the court as she continues to grow on the Tour.
Recent performances will have done Alexandra Eala the world of good and she is expected to have too much for Elena Gabriela Ruse who has struggled when asked to play some of the stronger players on the Tour, especially on the hard courts.
A First Round win will have given Elena Gabriela Ruse a boost, but it has been a season of inconsistency in the hard court results being produced. Credit has to be given to the World Number 77 for winning matches that she will feel she should, but Ruse has a 2-6 record when it come sto facing top 50 Ranked opponents on the hard courts.
The second serve numbers and those on the return of serve have taken a serious dent in those tougher matches and Alexandra Eala will feel she can exploit those in this Second Round meeting.
Two years ago, Elena Gabriela Ruse beat Alexandra Eala in the final Qualifying Round at the US Open when both were Ranked outside of the top 100.
It was Ruse who was Ranked the higher of the two in the match and she held a Seeded place in the Qualifying draw, but Alexandra Eala is much more experienced now and can record a strong win in her opening match in Cincinnati in 2026.
Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 games v Zeynep Sonmez: Last year, Amanda Anisimova made little impact at the Canadian and Cincinnati WTA 1000 events, but that did not stop her from reaching the US Open Final.
However, Amanda Anisimova had already reached the Wimbledon Final in 2025 and so her confidence would have been in a stronger place than it perhaps is right now.
It has been a decent year all the same, but not with the standout results that the American put on the board last year.
Despite that, Amanda Anisimova has shown time and time again that she can roll through the gears when facing opponents Ranked outside of the elite players and she is facing one of those in Zeynep Sonmez on Saturday in the Second Round.
Credit has to be given to any player who has one main draw win under the belt already, but Zeynep Sonmez has really struggled when she has stepped up a level and that has been reflected in some of the scores produced in her hard court matches in 2026. She will need to serve well to try and put Amanda Anismova under some pressure, but the World Number 10 should be able to contain much of the threat on the other side of the court with her own serve.
It is the higher Ranked player who has the heavier groundstrokes and that can see Amanda Anisimova push through to the Third Round.
MY PICKS: Alexandra Eala - 3.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Amanda Anisimova - 5.5 Games @ 2.05 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Maria Sakkari - 3.5 Games @ 1.91 William Hill (1 Unit)
Diana Shnaider - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Novak Djokovic - 3.5 Games @ 1.80 William Hill (1 Unit)
Tommy Paul-Hubert Hurkacz Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Jiri Lehecka-Matteo Berrettini Over 0.5 Tie-Breakers @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Alexander Zverev - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 William Hill (1 Unit)
Season 2026: 205-175, + 6.95 Units (565 Units Staked, + 1.23% Yield)
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