Alexandra Eala made a confident start to her US Open campaign, defeating American qualifier Mary Stoiana in straight sets at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The 17th seed raced through the opening set 6-1, but Stoiana showed some fight at the start of the second, holding serve to move 1-0 ahead. The American then put Eala under pressure in the following game, earning two break points at 40-15, and it was during that crucial moment that an unexpected scene in her coaching box caught the attention of ESPN commentator Rennae Stubbs.
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Stoiana looked toward her coach, Fran Vittar, during the game and found him smiling and laughing. She responded with a laugh of her own before turning her attention back to the court. For Stubbs, however, the moment called for a very different reaction. The former professional player and renowned coach immediately questioned Vittar’s response, believing the situation demanded complete focus with Stoiana just two points away from a break.
“I don’t want to harp on it too much because this is a whole new experience, but at 15-40, I wouldn’t be looking over and laughing with my players’ group,” she said. “I’d be fully focused on how important those points were.”
Eala, however, refused to let the moment become a turning point. She saved both break points, held serve after forcing deuce and quickly regained control of the match. Stoiana never threatened again, as Eala closed out the second set 6-2 to seal the victory in 1 hour and 18 minutes. But for Stubbs, the moment was less about what happened on the scoreboard and more about the lesson it could offer Vittar.
“These are the things, Nick, that you learn if you’re playing big matches,” Stubbs said once the danger had passed, framing it as a lesson for a coach still new to Grand Slam pressure. “You look over and your coach is looking at you and he’s smiling, and he’s laughing, and then you laugh back. It’s like that’s the time that the coach needs to say, focus. And even for him, he’s going to learn these moments of how to react to his player when she has an opportunity to break to go up to love in the second set and really change things around in this match.”
Stoiana actually finished with more winners (18), and won 80% of her points at the net. But the American struggled to convert her opportunities, going 0-for-6 on break points while Eala converted four of her eight. Stoiana also committed 26 unforced errors compared to Eala’s 15, while the Filipino won 78% of her first-serve points to Stoiana’s 64%. Eala ultimately finished with more total points, underlining how effectively she managed the key moments despite Stoiana’s aggressive play.
She remained composed given the atmosphere inside Louis Armstrong Stadium, something Eala admitted was a new experience for her.
“It felt different, definitely,” she said. “It was my first time playing on one of the main stadiums here at the US Open, and it was very loud, especially when the roof is covered. That is something that adds to the atmosphere, but it’s also something you have to navigate.”
With Eala entering the tournament as a seeded player after a strong American swing, she also acknowledged the added expectations that came with the status.
“You’re a little more confident, and there are a little more expectations, but I think I have been handling it,” she said.
Eala now advances to the second round for the second straight year at Flushing Meadows, where she will face Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova next.