Alex Eala, the 17th seed, advanced to the third round of the US Open by defeating Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday, with the crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium overwhelmingly behind her. Filipino fans held signs, chanted and waved flags throughout the match. "I'm proud to represent Filipinos," Eala said in her on-court interview.
Eala won the first nine games and established control from the start, avenging a previous loss to Oliynykova at the Internationaux de Strasbourg in May. In the first set she raced to a 4-0 lead before Oliynykova broke serve once, only for Eala to break back immediately and take the set. The second set proved more competitive as Oliynykova used looping shots and slices to disrupt Eala's rhythm.
Oliynykova moved 2-1 ahead before Eala broke in the fifth game to regain control. The Ukrainian tied it at 3-3, but Eala secured another break and held to love for a 5-3 advantage. Oliynykova held serve once more, but Eala remained composed when serving for the match and won after one hour and four minutes.
Eala will face American Iva Jovic in the third round. Jovic dispatched British qualifier Francesca Jones 6-4, 6-4.
World No. 4 Coco Gauff overcame Spain's Paula Badosa 6-4, 7-6 in the second round on Arthur Ashe Court, where the crowd backed the American. Badosa, ranked No. 87, held a positive head-to-head record including victories in their last two meetings, at last year's Australian Open and more recently in Berlin. The pair traded breaks twice in the second set before a tiebreak was needed, ending when Badosa sent a long ball.
Naomi Osaka, the 13th seed and two-time champion, defeated Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 also on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Osaka had just four unforced errors in the first set but struggled in the second with 20 unforced errors as Siniakova gained control. She took a bathroom break before the third set and returned with renewed focus, winning 6-1.
