Alex Eala cruised into the second round of the US Open with a 6-1, 6-2 triumph over qualifier Mary Stoiana at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York, on Tuesday (Wednesday PST).
The victory saw the 21-year-old Filipina sensation match her previous appearance at the Grand Slam, when she defeated Clara Tauson before bowing out in the second round.
Eala's first serve proved to be a key weapon, as she won 28 of 44 points when she landed her first serve, compared with Stoiana's 16. She also saved all six break points she faced.
Eala, the No. 17 seed in New York, now leads Stoiana 2-0 in their head-to-head record. She previously defeated the American 7-5, 6-2 in the second round of the ITF W100 Koser Jewelers Tennis Challenge in 2024.
"I want to thank the community here in New York, the tennis fans not just from the Philippines, who have been making me feel so loved and who are so enthusiastic and contributing to the growth of women's tennis," Eala said after the match.
"So thank you everybody for being part of my journey and making it such a pleasure to do my job,
"It's an amazing time, but it's also an amazing time for me to reflect on the past four years.
"But it's also an amazing time for me to look ahead and see my whole career ahead of me and see the people that I go through it with and share the blessings with them.
"So I'm really, really grateful to be here."