Alexandra Eala needed just 64 minutes to reach the US Open third round for the first time. The No. 17 seed dismantled Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-4 on Louis Armstrong Stadium on Thursday, September 3.

The win also settled a score. Eala had taken the opening set against Oliynykova at the Internationaux de Strasbourg in May, only to lose a three-set marathon.

Speed has been the theme of her week in New York. She dropped just three games in her opening-round win under the lights Tuesday, then needed barely an hour Thursday.

Alex Eala Dominates From First Point

Eala won the first nine points of the match, leaving her opponent chasing from the outset. Oliynykova compounded the trouble with nine unforced errors in the opening seven games.

The Ukrainian did not hit a winner until the second set and finished with just six. Eala never eased up, breaking serve five times in all.

Her work at the net paid off, too. She won 11 of the 14 points she played coming forward, closing out rallies instead of waiting on errors.

Oliynykova’s serve offered no shelter. She landed only half of her first serves, and Eala won 11 of the 18 points that followed a second delivery.

“My patience and consistency of my focus, I think that was the key to winning the match today,” Eala said afterward. The numbers backed her up: 19 winners against 17 unforced errors.

 

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Iva Jovic Awaits in Round 3

Eala will next face No. 14 seed Iva Jovic of the United States, one of her closest friends on tour. The two played a single set during qualifying week at the “Stars of the Open” exhibition, which Jovic won.

That night on Arthur Ashe Stadium was a full-circle moment for both, and they reflected on it at the time. The rematch arrives with a place in the Round of 16 on the line.

Eala reached the Round of 64 on her main-draw debut in New York last year. The third round already marks a new best for her at the tournament.