DNA
NEW YORK: The Philippines’ 17th seed Alexandra Eala did not disappoint her legion of fans that had the Louis Armstrong Stadium virtually sold out as she dispatched American Mary Stoiana 6-1, 6-2 on Wednesday.
“It was very difficult. You know, every exchange had its own challenges, especially in the start of the second set,” said tennis star Eala as she opened her US Open campaign in front of the loud Filipino fans.
The victory sets Eala up for redemption bid against Ukraine’s Oleksanddra Oliynykova as they clash in the Round of 64 of the 2026 US Open for their second meeting in the WTA Tour.
Before the 21-year old Eala’s opening match could even begin, her fans came bearing Filipino flags, and wearing hats telling her to fight on (“Laban Alex”). They cheered her sizzling groundstrokes, documented her volleys and serves in photos and video, and in some cases FaceTimed with friends or family.
And this was only at the practice courts.
It was about four hours before Eala was to take the court for her first-round match.
Elsewhere, Alexander Zverev has the No. 1 seed in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time and the belief that comes from finally winning a major title.
Then he nearly had a quick exit from the US Open.
The French Open champion rallied just in time to edge Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted 4 hours, 52 minutes and ended early Wednesday morning.
Two nights after No. 4 seed and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was eliminated with a five-set loss, Zverev nearly became another top player ousted from an event that top-ranked Jannik Sinner had to miss because of a right knee injury.
That moved the No. 2-ranked Zverev up to the No. 1 seed in the US Open, and if he had lost he would have been the first man on the top line to fall in the first round of a major since Lleyton Hewitt lost to Ivo Karlovic at Wimbledon in 2003.
“I’m happy that I won this kind of battle,” Zverev said. “This is exactly the match that I needed.”
Coco Gauff had an easier time, opening her quest for a second US Open title by beating Zeynep Sonmez 6-3, 6-4, regaining control midway through the second set after her opponent from Turkiye picked up her play.
“I know that I can raise my level if I need to do and I like to challenge my opponent to let them keep up the level the whole match,” Gauff said. “And if they do, I clap my hands and I walk off court with my head held high.”
Instead, she’s walking into a second-round match against either Paula Badosa or Daria Kasatkina.
Eala and Gael Monfils make for a spirited night on a damp day.
On a rainy day in New York, nothing could dampen the spirits inside Louis Armstrong Stadium.
First, Gael Monfils won on his 40th birthday to extend his Grand Slam career, with fans singing happy birthday to the Frenchman afterward. He was followed by Eala.
Gauff was battling serving woes when she arrived in Flushing Meadows last year and began working with a new coach on the eve of the tournament. There wasn’t time to fix her problems and Gauff had to battle though a rocky opener before getting easily ousted by Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.
Gauff returned this year with the confidence and momentum of a serious contender, winning the title in Cincinnati after semifinal runs at Wimbledon and Toronto.
