A 65-minute first set
Amanda Anisimova lost the opening set to Alexandra Eala and needed 65 minutes to do it. The ninth seed then recovered to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 and reach the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open in Mason, Ohio.
The fifth game of that first set ran 20 minutes on its own. Eala went a break down inside it, clawed back, and pushed the American across the baseline for the rest of the set. Nothing about the first hour suggested a straightforward afternoon for the higher seed.
Anisimova adjusted. She shortened the rallies, stopped trading from the back, and started taking the ball earlier. Eala held her serve through most of the second set before dropping it late, and the third went quickly.
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Eala leaves as a seed
Eala came into the tournament as the 17th seed at 21 years old, which tells its own story about her season. She has spent the year climbing through draws that used to end early for her, and she arrived in Ohio expected to reach the second week rather than hoping to.
Monday cost her that. It cost her nothing in the way of credibility, because taking a set off Anisimova over 65 minutes in these conditions required more than a hot start.
Next stop, the last 16
Rain broke up play across both draws throughout the day, with stoppages of around an hour hitting several matches. Anisimova handled the interruptions and moves on with the US Open a fortnight away.
New York has been her best hunting ground of the recent past, and her form since has swung between spells of complete control and stretches like Monday’s opening set. Cincinnati is where she finds out which version travels to Flushing Meadows.
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