If Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova planned for a repeat victory over her Filipino rival Alexandra ‘Alex’ Eala, she failed dismally as she was overwhelmed by the 21-year-old in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, as the United States Open continued early Friday morning (Manila time).
Eala swept Oliynykova off her feet on the hardcourt as Filipino cheers echoed into the third round. The country’s pride simply turned her erstwhile nemesis at the Internationaux de Strasbourg tournament just last May.
Eala’s revenge victory was not merely because of her powerful left-handed game as the night became special with the sea of Filipino supporters who were inside the 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium Stadium of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New City.
The partisan crowd turned the New York court into something of a home venue for the rising tennis star as they raised placards and loudly cheered every point won by their idol.
And Eala responded with a performance that matched the energy from the bleachers as she raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set and never allowed Oliynykova to settle into a rhythm, taking the set, 6-1.
In the second set, the Ukrainian showed some resistance but her foe stayed composed and closed out the match, 6-4, in just over an hour in a triumph that carried an element of revenge for the Filipina netter.
One may recall that Oliynykova beat Eala in a gruelling three-set battle at the Strasbourg Open in May, but the Filipina ace flipped the script on the biggest stage.
“I think I was just very patient and consistent,” Eala enthused after the match, crediting her focus for the straight-set victory.
The win sends Eala into the Round of 32—already farther than her US Open run last year.
More importantly, she continues to build momentum and with the Filipino crowd behind her—now dubbed as ‘Barangay New York’— Eala knows she will not be alone as her US Open journey continues.