Alex Eala opened her US Open campaign in emphatic fashion.
The 21-year-old Filipina tennis star swept American Mary Stoiana, 6-1, 6-2, to march into the next round of the year’s final Grand Slam.
It was an auspicious start for Eala, who needed little time to establish control. She won 78 percent of points behind her first serve and 56 percent on her second, keeping Stoiana under pressure from the opening game.
The scoreboard told the story. Eala won 61 points to Stoiana’s 42 and converted four of eight break-point chances.
Stoiana, meanwhile, went 0-for-6 on break points, repeatedly finding Eala’s service games about as welcoming as a locked door.
Eala strung together as many as five consecutive games, racing through the opening set 6-1. The second set followed much the same script: pressure, precision and very little mercy, ending 6-2.
Neither player hit an ace, while both committed three double faults. But Eala dominated where it mattered, winning 38 service points to Stoiana’s 23 and claiming 23 receiving points.
For Eala, the commanding victory provides the ideal launch to her US Open campaign. With expectations surrounding the rising Filipina star, she responded not with nerves but with authority, turning her first Grand Slam match of the tournament into a statement.
One match down, Eala is through—and if this opening is any indication, she has arrived in New York with plenty more tennis, and trouble for her opponents, in store.
