WITH greater power comes greater responsibility for modern Filipina superhero Alexandra “Alex” Eala.
She’s living the New York dream with bigger following, larger stakes and brighter lights. More pressure, too. But instead of being eaten by it within though, the 21-year-old Pinay power is embracing the challenge and just soaking it in the Big Apple with an undeterred confidence and all-time high momentum to ride on from a banner year so far.
“Coming in as a seeded player and having done pretty good in this American swing brings a different vibe. Of course, you’re a little more confident,” said Ms. Eala, marching into the Flushing Meadows as WTA No. 18 and No. 17 seed, both career-highs for her and for Philippine tennis.
“There’s a little more expectation but I think I handled it. I’ve been handling it.”
Ms. Eala is doing it so far after an emphatic first-round win and ahead of her second-round duel against No. 46 Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine on Friday midnight (Manila time) at the Louis Armstrong Stadium once again.
Buoyed by a legion of Filipino fans, Ms. Eala ran away with a methodical 6-1, 6-2 win over WTA No. 122 and former US NCAA MVP Mary Stoiana of the United States on Wednesday at the 14,000-seater venue, the second biggest at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center after the 23,771-seater Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Ms. Eala needed only 78 minutes to win, revving up for a revenge bid against the 25-year-old Ms. Oliynykova, who scored a 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 425 Reese Brantmeier of USA in Round 1, after a 6-3, 5-7, 3-6 loss in their first meeting in Strasbourg, France earlier this year.
She’s hoping it could be enough to pass the Ms. Oliynykova hurdle and live up to the hype by advancing to the next round — and next and next and next.
“It’s been a couple of months. I think I’ve developed a lot in the said months. So, all I can do is come into that match with the same mindset as today — the same mindset or an even better mindset than I’ve had these past couple of weeks — and try to do my best,” she vowed.
It’s the second straight second-round stint for Ms. Eala in the US Open after stunning then-world No. 15 Clara Tauson of Denmark, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11), to become the first Filipina match winner in any Grand Slam main draw.
Since winning her first-ever WTA Tour title last month in Washington on the heels of her magical Round of 16 finish in Wimbledon, Ms. Eala has also won nine of her past 11 games on hardcourt surfaces.
With that, hopes are high for Ms. Eala to do so to arrange a third-round match against either her good friend Iva Jovic of USA or No. 104 Francesca Jones of Great Britain, especially with an army of Filipinos behind her as proven at the soldout Armstrong venue in Round 1.
But for Ms. Eala, retaining a laser-like focus amid all the louder cheers and bigger microscope on her as one of the world’s poster girls will be the key if she wishes a deeper run at the season’s final Grand Slam.
“I’ve been navigating quite well within myself to keep the focus and focus on what I need to pay attention to. In the end, when you get into the groove, get into the rhythm, we play tennis,” she vowed.
“A match is a match, whether I think there are so many people or none. So, I think once the players get into that groove, the effect of external factors lessens a little bit.”
With a chunk of supporters behind, it was a big bite for Ms. Eala in her first plunge of action at the Big Apple and she’s still hungry for more. — John Bryan Ulanday