Tennis: Alex Eala powers past Stoiana, advances to US Open second round

September 3 ------ Alex Eala battled through some nervous moments before ultimately taking care of business against American qualifier Mary Stoiana in her first round match in the US Open. Eala powered to the second round with a 6-1, 6-2 win at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York, much to the delight of the crowd at the venue.

It was a strong performance for 17th seed Eala, who converted half of her eight break points and held firm when Stoiana appeared to be getting into a rhythm in the second set. "Of course, it was very difficult. Every exchange had its own challenges, especially in the start of the second set," said Eala after the one-hour, 18-minute affair. "I think she put me in uncomfortable positions, and she's been having a great run, coming from [qualifiers] and a good past couple of weeks. "So I'm really happy with this match."

Eala had to overcome a nervy start, going down a break point in the opening game after a double fault. But a Stoiana error forced a deuce, and Eala converted a forehand to get on the brink before a backhand error from the American allowed the Filipina to hold serve. From there, Eala grew into the match. She immediately broke Stoiana in the second game on her way to a commanding 5-0 lead. Stoiana finally held to get on the board at 5-1, but Eala responded with a superb love hold to take the opener. Stoiana showed her intent in the second set, holding to love for a 1-0 lead as Eala suffered a series of errors. They exchanged holds until the fourth game for a 2-2 score, before Eala scored a crucial break in the fifth game.

The Filipina ace powered on from there, though Stoiana had her chances particularly in the seventh game where she saved three break points. But an errant backhand that went wide and a forehand into the net doomed Stoiana, and Eala went on to serve out the match. The result delighted the mostly pro-Eala crowd at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, and the Filipina star made sure to express her appreciation to those who packed the venue. "I want to thank the community here in New York, the tennis fans, not just from the Philippines, but who have been making me feel so loved and who are so enthusiastic and contributing to the growth of women's tennis," said Eala, whose rapidly-growing fanbase has given birth to the "Eala-mania" phenomenon in the past few months. "Thank you everybody for being part of my journey and making it such a pleasure to do my job," she added.

She is now set to play Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova in the second round.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com