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Alexandra Eala, of the Philippines, reacts during her match against Mary Stoiana, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Alex Eala at the 2026 US Open: Schedule, draw and history
MANILA, Philippines–Alex Eala eyes a better result when she takes on Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine in the second round of the US Open.
Eala fell to Oliynykova in three sets on the clay courts of the Strasbourg Open in France last May in their first meeting.
This time, Eala looks to carry her momentum from a strong hard court campaign against Oliynykova, currently ranked No. 46 in the WTA.
“I think looking back at that match, there are a lot of things that I could have done better. And I think I’ve been working on since then,” Eala said of Oliynykova. “It’s been a couple of months. I think I’ve developed a lot in those months.”
Since then, Eala has posted a career-high WTA ranking at No. 18, reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon and won her first WTA Tour-level title on the hard courts of DC.
Alexandra Eala, of the Philippines, hits a return to Mary Stoiana, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Eala also got off to a strong start in New York for the final Grand Slam of the tournament, disposing of Mary Stoiana in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, in the opener.
Oliynykova, meanwhile, beat wildcard Reese Brantmeier to advance to the second round.
Eala said she hopes to build on her recent gains and make an even deeper Grand Slam run at the same place where she found success as a junior.
“I think I’ve prepared quite well leading up to [this tournament]. My team’s put in the work, I’ve put in the work. So to have more matches with the level that I see I can produce and I’ve been producing these past couple of weeks, I think today was a good first match, ” Eala said.
Eala and Oliynykova’s showdown is scheduled for Thursday night, no earlier than 11 p.m. Philippine time.
“All I can do is come into that match with the same mindset as today, the same mindset or even better than the mindset I’ve been having these past couple of weeks and try to do my best,” Eala said.
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