Rick Macci believes Alex Eala possesses the movement, timing and court craft necessary to contend with the WTA Tour’s best players. The former Serena Williams coach sees one shot determining how high the Filipina star can climb.
“The X factor is the serve,” Macci wrote on X.
Macci, who helped develop Serena and Venus Williams during their formative years, argued that improving Eala’s serve could eventually make her a Grand Slam contender.
“If that becomes her best friend, she can grab a few Slams in the end,” Macci wrote.
That prediction provides an intriguing backdrop for Eala’s first career meeting with Amanda Anisimova in the Cincinnati Open round of 32 Monday, Aug. 17.
Rick Macci Breaks Down Alex Eala’s Serve
GettyTennis player Venus Williams from the United States poses for a photograph with her coach Rick Macci during a training session on 1st November 1994 at the Rick Macci International Tennis Academy in Delray Beach, Florida, United States.
Macci’s assessment goes deeper than asking Eala to simply hit the ball harder.
The USPTA Hall of Fame coach previously wrote that he does not consider Eala’s toss, grip, takeback or power position to be the primary problem. He instead identified the synchronization between her leg drive and racket movement as the technical area requiring improvement.
Macci returned to that point Sunday while comparing a slower 70-mph second serve with what he described as an 85-mph “lefty laser.”
“Tennis is a game of time. Speed kills,” Macci explained.
He argues that a faster, heavier second serve would take time away from returners while creating more “juice, bite and hop.” For a left-handed player, that additional action can drag opponents beyond the doubles alley and open the first attacking shot.
The distinction matters against Anisimova. The world No. 10 takes returns early and punishes second serves with compact, flat swings. If Eala leaves the ball sitting in Anisimova’s strike zone, the American can seize control before the rally develops.
Eala has compensated with disguise, placement and her ability to defend the first shot after her serve. Macci believes better coordination from the ground up would allow her to generate more pace without sacrificing those qualities.
Amanda Anisimova Offers Major Test for Alex Eala
Getty Amanda Anisimova of the United States serves during a match against Zeynep Sönmez of Türkiye on day five of the Cincinnati Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 15, 2026 in Mason, Ohio.
Macci described the Anisimova match as a revealing examination of Eala’s movement and defense.
“For her to climb that mountaintop, the power players with clean, lethal early strikes like her are a great learning test,” Macci added.
Anisimova advanced by defeating Zeynep Sönmez 6-2, 6-3. Eala moved on after Elena-Gabriela Ruse retired while trailing 6-1, 3-0.
The victory lifted Eala from her official world ranking of No. 20 to a projected career-high No. 18 in the live rankings. It continued a remarkable summer highlighted by her first WTA Tour title in Washington, where she defeated world No. 3 Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. Reuters
Anisimova praised Eala’s “incredible season” and predicted that their first meeting would attract a packed stadium.
The tactical equation is clear. Anisimova will try to shorten points with immediate power. Eala must absorb that pace, defend the corners and create the angles Macci has repeatedly praised.
“When Alex is set, on balance and able to hit on the rise, this is when she gets you on a string and usually gets the prize,” Macci wrote.
Monday’s match will not decide Eala’s ceiling. It should, however, offer Macci’s promised snapshot of how close her evolving game is to matching one of the tour’s most dangerous power hitters.
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