Revenge and breakthrough

MANILA, Philippines — Not satisfied with a roaring introduction, Alex Eala and her adoring crowd are now heading to the third round of the US Open.

Hungry and confident, the Filipina pride put on another show in one of the fastest wins of her Grand Slam career, demolishing Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova, 6-1, 6-4, at a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing Meadows yesterday.

The No. 17 seed needed just 64 minutes for the lopsided victory – a fitting follow-up to her 6-1, 6-2 dismantling of No. 122 and US NCAA MVP Mary Stoiana in 78 minutes on Wednesday.

The spotlight had found her before a ball was struck in the second round.

On the morning of her second-round match, The New York Times put Eala on its front page – not for her tennis, but for love. The headline: In Little Manila, This US Open Redefines Love. And underneath it: A Queens Community Unites Behind Eala, a Filipino Star.

That was the story before the second round.

What happened on court was revenge. It was more than just a convincing win, and it kept the spotlight on her.

Eala avenged her 6-3, 5-7, 3-6 loss to the world No. 46 Ukrainian on the clay court of the Strasbourg Open earlier this year. This time, on the hard court of New York and under much brighter lights, the WTA No. 18 left no doubt.

The 21-year-old has now surpassed her best finish at the US Open after reaching only the second round in her main-draw debut last year as world No. 74. Her next test could come at the expense of good friend and No. 14 seed Iva Jovic of the United States, a player she has yet to beat.

A win over Jovic – who advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 104 Francesca Jones of Great Britain – would match Eala’s Round-of-16 finish at Wimbledon last month, her best Grand Slam result to date, and all but guarantee a third consecutive day on the front page.

“I think I’ve improved a lot. And I put in the hours for that. That being said, it’s a very different circumstance. It’s a different surface, different tournament and different time of the year,” Eala said of avenging her loss to the 25-year-old Ukrainian.

“It’s very difficult to compare but focusing on today, I think I did really good in terms of being patient and sticking to my game. My patience and consistency were my focus. And that was the key to winning the match today.”

Eala came out firing, winning the first nine points as Oliynykova committed seven unforced errors right off the bat to surrender a near-bagel opening set.

The Ukrainian finally found her groove in the second, holding her first two service games to take a 2-1 lead. But Eala steadied herself quickly, closing with a 5-2 run highlighted by two crucial breaks.

She served out the match in emphatic fashion, hammering a winner at the net as Oliynykova’s return sailed long – sparking another eruption from the 14,000-strong crowd at the second-largest stadium in Flushing Meadows, dominated once again by Filipino fans.

“I think experience is definitely helpful. I do feel like a more well-rounded player now and more mature, I guess, with time comes maturity,” Eala said.