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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Alex Eala falls to Oliynykova in Strasbourg opener

Alex Eala falls to Oliynykova in Strasbourg opener

Published May 18, 2026 11:58 pm
Alex Eala absorbs another early loss at the Strasbourg Open. (File Photo/ Alex Eala Instagram)
Alex Eala absorbs another early loss at the Strasbourg Open. (File Photo/ Alex Eala Instagram)
Alex Eala couldn’t sustain a fiery start and bowed to lower-ranked Oleksandra Oliynykova, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, in the opening round of the Strasbourg Open in France on Monday, May 18.
Eala, who entered the main draw after originally being slated for the qualifiers, mounted a gritty fight in the deciding third set before completely losing steam against her more aggressive Ukrainian rival in the match that lasted two hours and 52 minutes.
Oliynykova, who is ranked 28 rungs lower than Eala, next faces the winner between eighth seed Marie Bouzkova and Katerina Siniakova.
“It was an amazing match,” said Oliynykova in an on-court interview shortly after her victory.
“In one moment in the third set when it was 3-all and very close, I just fought for every point and just told myself that I can relax because tennis already won and I can be proud of this match and maybe this is something that would help me play more freely in the end and make this three wins in a row to win,” she added.
Indeed, Oliynykova dug deep to overcome the 38th-ranked Eala in the deciding third set. After dropping her serve to hand the Filipina ace a 3-2 advantage, the Ukrainian quickly responded with a crucial break of her own to level the set at 3-all.
The momentum swing proved decisive as Oliynykova stuck to her game plan and rattled off the final three games to seal the hard-earned victory.
It was the same intensity she displayed earlier in the second set when shestormed to 3-0 and 4-1 leads before Eala fought back to even the score at 5-all.
But Oliynykova held her nerve in the closing stretch, capturing the next two games to force a deciding set.

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Alex Eala Oleksandra Oliynykova Strasbourg Open
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