ALEX Eala and her passionate Filipino supporters are headed to the weekend at the US Open, joining two-time champion Naomi Osaka and 2023 winner Coco Gauff in the third round.
Eala, the 17th-seeded Filipino, defeated Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova, 6-1, 6-4, on Thursday (Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, PH time) to continue her strong run at Flushing Meadows, New York.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that Eala gave her vocal supporters something to cheer about immediately, winning the first nine points against Oliynykova, who had won their only previous meeting.
“I think everybody represents something in their own way. I’m Filipino and I proudly represent that,” Eala said, according to AP. “And a lot of the crowd here today is Filipino and I’m sure they share in that sentiment.”
Osaka also advanced after recovering from a mid-match lapse to beat Katerina Siniakova, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.
The 13th-seeded Osaka dominated the opening set in just 30 minutes and built a 4-2 lead in the second before her game dipped, committing 20 unforced errors after making only four in the first set.
But Osaka regained control in the decider, breaking for a 2-0 lead before pulling away for the victory.
“The match was definitely really tough and I don’t know, I just felt like I had to fight,” Osaka said. “I definitely had a couple opportunities in the second set and I think I was a little bit too hard on myself. So I took the bathroom break, regrouped a little, came back and just tried to have no regrets.”
Upsets and narrow escapes
According to AP, the men’s draw saw more high-seeded players exit early.
Third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime became the highest-seeded player eliminated so far after falling to Karen Khachanov, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. The Canadian said he was feeling dizzy and seeing spots during the match.
“Karen is a great player. Look, I cannot beat him or anybody in this draw feeling the way I felt today,” Auger-Aliassime said. “If I cannot move, we’re not talking about tennis here.”
Sixth-seeded Alex de Minaur also bowed out after losing in straight sets to Botic van de Zandschulp, making it four top-10 men’s seeds eliminated before the third round.
Previously, four-time champion Novak Djokovic had been the highest seed to fall when he lost in the first round for the first time in his Grand Slam career.
Madison Keys, on the other hand, narrowly avoided an early exit. The 2017 runner-up saved five match points before edging Anna Bondar, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (10-5).
“That was something, huh? No stress, though, we all knew I had it right?” Keys
joked afterward.
Other winners included 2022 champion Iga Swiatek and 2025 runner-up Amanda Anisimova. Taylor Fritz, the 2024 men’s runner-up, cruised past Mattia Bellucci, 6-0, 6-1, 6-1, while fifth-seeded Flavio Cobolli defeated Tristan Schoolkate, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.
Gauff shines
Gauff, meanwhile, moved into the third round with a 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over Paula Badosa in a prime-time match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The AP reported that Badosa was playing for a third consecutive day after rain forced the completion of her first-round match to Wednesday.
“Paula’s a tough player,” Gauff said. “I don’t think there was too much I did wrong. I feel like she really stepped it up.” / LBG
