Alexandra Eala advances to US Open third round with win over Oleksandra Oliynykova

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines brushed aside Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-4 on Friday to reach the third round of the US Open, keeping alive the buzz for her fervent following in New York.

The 21-year-old left hander lost to Oliynykova in Strasbourg earlier this year but had the right formula this time around; Eala needing little more than an hour to book a third-round meeting with No 14 seed Iva Jovic of the USA.

“My patience and the consistency of my focus [were] the key to winning the match today,” Eala said.

Fresh from claiming her first career title in Washington last month, Eala won the opening four games across a dominant first set, striking 11 winners to none from her opponent.

The two players traded breaks in a far more competitive second set, where Eala broke from the baseline in the seventh game before slamming her foot on the gas and wrapping up the win with an unreturnable serve.

The first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour-level match, Eala was urged on by her compatriots in Louis Armstrong Stadium, where signs in Tagalog urged her to “fight on”.