Alexandra Eala continued her strong run at the 2026 U.S. Open with a straight-sets victory over Oleksandra Oliynykova on Thursday, securing her first appearance in the third round of the tournament.

The 21-year-old Filipino, seeded 17th and ranked No. 18 in the WTA standings, defeated the Ukrainian 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and four minutes at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Eala broke early to lead 4-0 in the first set and closed it out after Oliynykova claimed one game. In the second set, the players traded breaks before Eala broke again in the seventh game and held to finish the match. She recorded 19 winners to six unforced errors.

This win avenged a three-set loss to Oliynykova earlier this year in Strasbourg. Eala had opened her U.S. Open campaign with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over American qualifier Mary Stoiana in 78 minutes on Tuesday, also at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Eala, the highest-ranked player from Southeast Asia, reached the second round at last year's U.S. Open and advanced to the round of 16 at Wimbledon this summer. She won her first WTA title in Washington earlier this month. She will next face either Iva Jovic or Francesca Jones.

The matches drew large crowds of Filipino supporters in Queens, highlighting Eala's growing popularity in the sport.