Philippines' rising tennis star Alexandra Eala (ranked 18th), who reached the round of 16 at this year's Wimbledon, has advanced to the third round of the 2026 US Open.

On the fifth day of the tournament held at Flushing Meadows in New York on September 3 (local time), Eala defeated Oleksandra Oliynykova (ranked 46th, Ukraine) 2-0 (6-1, 6-4) in 1 hour and 4 minutes in the women's singles second round.

If Eala wins her upcoming third-round match against the winner of the match between Iva Jovic (ranked 14th, United States) and Francesca Jones (ranked 104th, Great Britain), she will reach the round of 16 of a major tournament for only the second time in her life.

Hailing from the Philippines, a country considered a barren wasteland for tennis, Eala previously drew attention at this year's Wimbledon by defeating defending champion Iga Swiatek (ranked 8th, Poland) to reach the round of 16.

Proving that her success was no flash in the pan, Eala wrote a new history last month by winning the singles title at the Washington Open, becoming the first player from the Philippines, male or female, to triumph at a tour-level singles event.

Cheered on enthusiastically by Filipino fans, Eala defeated Oliynykova and said, "I am Filipino and I proudly represent the Philippines. A lot of the crowd here today were of Filipino descent, and I am sure they felt proud too."

Naomi Osaka (ranked 13th, Japan) defeated Katerina Siniakova (ranked 42nd, Czech Republic) 2-1 (6-2, 5-7, 6-1) to advance to the third round.

Always drawing attention for her striking fashion as much as her tennis skills, Osaka walked onto the court proudly wearing a silver dress and claimed the first set in just 30 minutes.

However, she began to falter in the second set, committing 20 unforced errors, bringing the match back to level terms.

Regrouping after a trip to the locker room before the start of the third set, Osaka jumped out to a 2-0 game lead at the start of the third, and secured the momentum by winning a game point with a volley winner after a 19-shot rally in the third game.

Osaka will face Elise Mertens (ranked 20th, Belgium) in the fourth round.

In their head-to-head record, Osaka leads with 6 wins and 3 losses, including victories in their last two consecutive meetings.

In the men's singles, Karen Khachanov (ranked 50th, Russia), who reached the semifinals at the 2022 tournament, advanced to the third round by defeating world No. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) 3-1 (6-7 <5-7>, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2).

Auger-Aliassime, who suffered from poor condition throughout the match while complaining of dizziness, ultimately became the highest-seeded player (No. 3) to be eliminated in this tournament.

(Photo: Yonhap News)