SURPASSING her finish from last year, Alex Eala marched into the third round of the 2026 US Open women’s singles after crushing Oleksandra Olikynykova, 6-1, 6-4, early Friday morning, Manila time, at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The Filipina World No. 18, seeded 17th in the tournament, came in with a timely chance at payback against the Ukrainian No. 46, who got the better of her in their first meeting last May.
Eala won a total of 59 points compared to Olikynykova’s 34 in a match that lasted roughly just an hour, making it one of her fastest finishes in a Grand Slam.
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She now awaits the winner between 14th seed Iva Jovic and Francesca Jones, with a potential showdown against Jovic marking Eala’s first seeded matchup of the tournament.
In her US Open debut last year, Eala reached the second round after claiming her maiden Grand Slam main-draw win.
Eala wasted little time taking control, racing to a 4-0 lead before closing out the opening set.
Olikynykova showed more fight in the second, but Eala broke ahead at 3-2 and again for 5-3, putting herself within a game of the match eventually punching her ticket to the third round.
In her post-game interview, Eala said she was proud of how she handled the match’s twists and turns, while also commending the Ukrainian’s grit.
“I think my patience and consistency of my focus, those were the key to winning the match today,” she said.
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