Amanda Anisimova’s win over Alex Eala in Cincinnati came with a strange little detour that had tennis fans zooming in on a cup instead of the scoreboard.
The American had to dig out of a first-set hole before reaching the Round of 16 at the Cincinnati Open. Eala grabbed the opener 6-4, but Anisimova answered with a 6-4, 6-2 finish to complete the comeback and keep her run moving.
Still, the shot everyone kept talking about came during a changeover. Cameras caught Anisimova with a clear cup holding an amber-colored drink topped with foam, and the Tennis Channel booth immediately took notice. Brett Haber turned to Lindsay Davenport and asked what she was drinking.
“I mean I would never suggest that a player was drinking a beer in the middle of a match but that’s certainly what it looked like,” Haber said.
“I’ve never seen that,” Davenport replied.
Haber then suggested it could have been non-alcoholic, cider, or something else entirely.
From there, the moment took off online. Fans piled on with jokes and guesses about what was in the cup, while the match itself kept moving in Anisimova’s favor.
It turned out the mystery drink was Red Bull, which only looked like beer under the lights and on camera. And as expected, players cannot drink alcohol during matches.
Anisimova didn’t let the buzz around the cup interfere with her tennis. She broke Eala repeatedly late, served well when it mattered, and cleaned up her ball striking as the match wore on. Afterward, she called Eala a tough fighter and thanked the crowd for sticking with a late-night match.
For the world No. 10, it was another solid step forward as she keeps building form ahead of the US Open. The comeback after dropping the first set was the real story, even if the drink debate briefly stole the spotlight. Next up for Anisimova is Linda Noskova.