Alexandra Eala of Philippines takes on Mary Stoiana of the United States during their Women's Singles First Round match on Day Three of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 01, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. TJ Manotoc, ABS-CBN News
Alex Eala is determined to bring the mindset that has brought her great success in recent weeks when she faces Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova in the second round of the US Open.
Eala, the tournament's 17th seed, took care of business against American qualifier Mary Stoiana in the first round, 6-1, 6-2.
That earned her a rematch with Oliynykova, who had beaten her when they played in the first round of the Internationaux de Strasbourg in May. Eala had surged to a one-set lead but ultimately fell prey to the Ukrainian's tricky style, losing 6-3, 5-7, 3-6.
READ: Alex Eala exits Strasbourg in loss to Oliynykova
"Yes, it was a really good match. I mean, very intense, quite tight," said Eala of her encounter with world No. 46 Oliynykova in the claycourt tournament.
"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 it since then, it's been a couple months," she added. "I think I've developed a lot in [those] months."
The 21-year-old Eala has had a strong build-up to the US Open, including a breakthrough in Washington DC where she won her first WTA Tour title. She also reached the fourth round in Toronto before bowing out in the third round in Cincinnati.
Against Stoiana in the first round in New York, she navigated some tricky moments before completing the win in an hour and 18 minutes.
"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," said Eala.
RELATED VIDEO: