Alexandra Eala thrives on the energy of her fan base, and being the center of attention of a growing phenomenon. But when it comes down to business – for example, a first-round match at the US Open – she’s all about blocking out the noise.
She did that on Tuesday night in Queens, playing the US Open as a seed for the first time (No.17), taking out Grand Slam debutante Mary Stoiana, 6-1, 6-2 to reach the second round.
Eala, who became the first player from the Phillipines to win a Grand Slam main draw match last year in Flushing, reached the second week at Wimbledon this summer, for her career-best performance at the majors. She is making her seventh career appearance at the majors.
For Eala, it’s all about methodically ticking off the boxes, making sure she’s prepared and playing to her potential, no matter the buzz or hype.
She was asked if all the attention on her first-round match in Louis Armstrong Stadium brought some intense nerves.
“There were nerves, for sure, and I am not really sure if I can pinpoint where they came from, if it’s from the noise, if it’s from, like you said, the first round of a slam,” she said.
Eala, who will face Oleksandra Oliynykova in the second round, said that job number one is staying focused.
“I think with experience, my goal is to tune it out, and I’ve had experience with big crowds, especially in the past year, and I think I’ve been navigating quite well within myself to keep the focus and focus on what I need to pay attention to and points A, B, and C,” she said.
“In the end when you get into the groove, get into the rhythm, we play tennis. You know, a match is a match, I think whether there are so many people or none. I think once the players get into that groove, the effect of external factors lessens a little bit.”
Eala actually lost to Oliynykova in Strasbourg on the clay early this year.
“It was a really good match,” she said. “Very intense, quite tight. I think looking back at that match, there are a lot of things that I could have done better, and I think I’ve been working on since then. It’s been a couple of months. I think I’ve developed a lot in said months.
“All I can do is come into that match with the same mindset as today, the same mindset or even better than the mindset I’ve been having these past couple of weeks and try to do my best.”
Oliynykova, ranked No.46, defeated American Reese Brantmeier 6-4, 6-4 in round one.
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