Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala is set to step back onto the court at Louis Armstrong Stadium, targeting a stronger performance in her second-round encounter against Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova at the US Open in Flushing Meadows on Thursday, September 3 (early Friday, September 4 in Philippine time).
The fixture is scheduled for no earlier than 12:40 p.m. local time (12:40 a.m. Friday, PH time), following the men’s singles clash featuring third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and Karen Khachanov, which begins at 11:00 a.m. local time (11:00 p.m. Thursday, PH time).
Eala, seeded 17th in the tournament, delivered a dominant performance in her opening match by overwhelming American qualifier Mary Stoiana, 6-1, 6-2. Oliynykova earned her place in the second round by defeating Reese Brantmeier in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Thursday’s contest marks the second career meeting between the two players. Their initial matchup took place last May in the opening round of the WTA 500 event in Strasbourg, France, where Oliynykova outlasted Eala in a tough three-set battle.
The landscape has shifted considerably since that clay-court meeting. Eala achieved a historic milestone by advancing to the fourth round at Wimbledon and subsequently secured her breakthrough WTA singles crown at the Mubadala DC Open last month.
Oliynykova has also produced solid results this season, advancing to the third round at the French Open alongside multiple semifinal and quarterfinal runs on tour.
Statistically, Eala holds the advantage with a career-best world ranking of No. 18, while Oliynykova enters the contest ranked No. 46.
Should the Filipina star claim victory, she will advance to the third round to face the winner of the match between 14th seed Iva Jovic and Francesca Jones.