Playing before a predominantly Filipino crowd against an American in the US Open, Alex Eala didn’t disappoint after dispatching Mary Stoiana, 6-1, 6-2, at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York on Wednesday (Manila time).
Eala, seeded 17th in the final Grand Slam of the season, needed to dig deeper in the second set, battling back from a 2-1 deficit to fend off the promising Stoiana.
‘It was very difficult. Every exchange has its own challenges, especially the start of the second set; she put me in uncomfortable situations,’ Eala said during the post-match interview amid loud celebrations from her supporters.
‘She’s been having a great run coming from quali and a good past couple of weeks, so I’m really happy with this match.’
The 21-year-old Eala takes on Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova in the second round. Oleksandra sent Eala home in the round of 32 of the Strasbourg Open last May.
As expected, the tennis darling’s massive fanbase showed up with Philippine flags, banners, and even a cardboard cutout of their idol’s younger self that caught Eala’s attention after the match.
Eala raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening against Stoiana, who turned things around in the early stages of the second set.
Stoiana, the former top collegiate player in the US who was making her main draw debut at the US Open, had her moments with her brilliant shotmaking but just couldn’t capitalize on her chances. She shot herself in the foot, going 0-for-6 on break points and committing 26 unforced errors to Eala’s 15.
Eala, who won the US Open girls’ singles title in 2022, also reached the women’s singles second round in New York last year but lost to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, 4-6, 6-3.
A lot has happened since, with Eala continuing her steady rise that saw her claim a first WTA title at the DC Open last month and climb to a career-high World No. 18.
‘It’s an amazing time for me to reflect on the past four years, but it’s also an amazing time for me to look ahead and see my whole career ahead of me and see the people that I go through and with and share the blessings with them. I’m really, really grateful to be here. I’m in Louis Armstrong, guys.’