Amanda Anisimova found herself at the center of an unexpected debate during her third-round clash at the 2026 Cincinnati Open. As she battled Alexandra Eala in a fiercely contested encounter, the attention shifted from the action on the court to the contents of Anisimova’s drink, sparking a discussion in the tennis community.
Tennis World Reacts to Amanda Anisimova’s ‘Mystery’ Drink at the Cincinnati Open
With a place in the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open at stake, Anisimova was forced to dig deep during a tense clash with Alexandra Eala. Despite losing the opening set and displaying her frustration, the American fought back to secure a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win and kept her campaign at the WTA 1000 event alive.
However, the hard-fought battle was overshadowed by the discourse about what Anisimova was drinking during a changeover in the second set. Tennis Channel commentators Brett Haber and Lindsay Davenport took the time to speculate about the drink, with Haber pointing out the striking resemblance to a glass of beer.
“What is that Lindsay?” Haber asked.
“Could be apple cider Brett,” Davenport responded.
“I mean, I would never suggest that a player was drinking a beer in the middle of a match but..,” Haber commented.
“I’ve never seen that,” Davenport said.
“That’s simply what it looked like,” Haber said. “I mean, it could be non-alcoholic, could be cider, could be anything. We don’t know.”
Tennis journalists Christian’s Court and José Morgado also joined the discussion, offering their own guesses about the puzzling beverage.
“This has to be ginger ale right? 💀,” Christian’s Court posted.
“Red Bull?” Morgado wrote.
Morgado’s guess ultimately proved correct, as Haber later confirmed that the “mystery” beverage was indeed a Red Bull.
“Just to put a bow on the story, we can confirm, via one of our court-side camera operators that Anisimova asked for and was delivered a Red Bull. That is the mystery bevvie,” Haber said.
No. 9 seed Amanda Anisimova will hope to secure a more comfortable win when she faces No. 6 seed Linda Nosková in the fourth round. Victory would book the American’s place in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open, where she would take on the winner of the match between Jessica Pegula and Sorana Cîrstea.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.