Alex Eala just made the US Open second round look routine, but her next test is personal. After sweeping Mary Stoiana 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round, the world No. 18 now draws Oleksandra Oliynykova, the same player who handed her a painful loss in Strasbourg this May.
A statement opener
Eala needed just over an hour to dispatch Stoiana and reach the US Open second round for the second straight year, per GMA News. The win came with the Filipina carrying a career-high world ranking of No. 18 and the tournament’s 17th seed into Flushing Meadows, and it kept her home-grown momentum rolling through a week that has already drawn comparisons to the biggest names in Filipino sport.
The Oliynykova rematch
Eala’s reward is a date with the Ukrainian who broke her run in Europe. Oliynykova, ranked No. 40, beat Eala in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 comeback in the Round of 32 at the Strasbourg Open in May, one of the few blemishes on an otherwise breakout year for the Filipina. The second-round matchup is set for Tuesday, and Eala arrives in far better form than she did in Strasbourg, where she had just exited qualifying.
How the two stack up
| Player | World ranking | US Open seed | First round | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandra Eala (PHI) | No. 18 | 17th | beat Stoiana 6-1, 6-2 | trails 0-1 |
| Oleksandra Oliynykova (UKR) | No. 40 | unseeded | beat Brantmeier 6-4, 6-4 | leads 1-0 |
What a win would mean
Advancing would put Eala into the US Open third round for the first time, a milestone that would deepen the Eala mania sweeping Filipino tennis fans at the year’s final Grand Slam. It would also settle the score with the only player outside the elite who has had her number this season. For Filipinos watching from home, the opening round against Stoiana was already a statement; this one could be the vindication.
