--- title: "Alexandra Eala reaches the third round in New York; dream of a first major title remains alive for Filipina star" sdDatePublished: "2026-09-04T14:21:00Z" source: "https://www.olympics.com/en/news/us-open-2026-alexandra-eala-third-round-first-time" topics: - name: "tennis" identifier: "medtop:20001085" locations: - "New York" - "United States" - "Philippines" - "Ukraine" --- Alexandra Eala reaches the third round in New York; dream of a first major title remains alive for Filipina star US Open 2026: Alexandra Eala reaches the third round for the first time: "My patience was key" US Open 2026: Alexandra Eala reaches the third round for the first time: "My patience was key" The No. 17 seed beat the Ukrainian 6-1, 6-4 in straight sets New York to keep her dream alive of a first major title. Alexandra Eala has never been this far at the US Open. The No. 17 seed, the highest-seeded Filipina in Grand Slam tennis history, beat Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday (3 September) to reach the third round in New York. "I think my patience and the consistency of my focus, I think that was the key to winning the match today," Eala said on court afterward. Eala hit 19 winners to Oliynykova's six and won 59 of the 94 points played. She converted five of her seven break points, and won 11 of the 16 points behind her second serve. Next up for Eala will be the winner of No. 14 seed Iva Jovic and Francesca Jones , a pair of women the 21-year-old holds in high regard. "Who I play in the next round is definitely out of my control, but they're both great friends of mine, both such amazing people and players," she said. "So all I can do is wish them a great match and hope they have fun, and I'm sure they will both give it their all like everyone here." US Open 2026: Alexandra Eala strong-arms Mary Stoiana in first round to progress How to watch Alexandra Eala live at US Open 2026 Alexandra Eala: "I think we all represent something" Four years ago, Eala won the US Open junior title, playing on a small, outer court. On Thursday, the stands of Louis Armstrong Arena, Flushing Meadow’s second largest show court, were full of Filipino flags. Eala has come to understand what her success has meant to her nation – the gracious way she represents it on the global stage. "Everybody represents something in their own way," she said. "I'm Filipino, and I proudly represent that, and a lot of the crowd here today is Filipino, and I'm sure they share in that sentiment. Like Americans or like Ukrainians, like Oleksandra, who played so, so amazingly today. "So I think we all represent something." Alexandra Eala: "It would be a big shame if I didn't enjoy what I had" It's part of the humble approach Eala brings to her sport. At her first-round press conference on Tuesday (1 September), a reporter read one of her own answers from a previous interview back to her: asked to look a decade ahead, she had said she wanted to know she gave it her best, worked hard and had fun. She stood by her comments, ones that don’t focus on a ranking or number of trophies piling up. "I'm still so young. So I have so much to learn when it comes to managing [the life of an athlete]," Eala said. "There's so much I feel I'm going to experience and so many challenges I've yet to encounter. "It feels like just yesterday that I was dreaming to be on Armstrong, for example, or dreaming to play against the players that I've been playing against," she continued. "There were times, you know, when you're dreaming and you're a little kid, you don't know if you're actually going to do it, right? Of course you say, I can, I can, but whether you actually do is a different thing. And now I'm here. "It would be a big shame if I didn't enjoy what I had." US Open 2026: Full order of play - all matches, complete schedule NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 01: Fans support Alexandra Eala of Philippines in her Women's Singles First Round match against Mary Stoiana of the United States 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. (Photo by Mike Stobe 24 August - 13 September Tennis | US Open | New York | United States