78-minute masterclass

MANILA, Philippines — A big bite for Alex Eala at the Big Apple.

Alex Eala made a roaring return to the US Open, scoring an emphatic 6-1, 6-2 opening win over home bet Mary Stoiana to roll into the second round yesterday at a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Unforgiving right out of the gates, Eala needed just 78 minutes to dispatch the American qualifier and justify her billing as the No. 17 seed in the stacked 128-woman field.

Eala, the highest-ranked Southeast Asian player in history at WTA No. 18 – up from No. 75 when she made her US Open main-draw debut last year – trailed only once in the methodical clinic to arrange a Round 2 duel against No. 46 Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine.

Oliynykova, who beat Eala last summer in Strasbourg, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, earned another shot at the Filipina after an equally impressive 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 425 Reese Brantmeier of the United States.

It is Eala’s second straight second-round stint in Flushing Meadows after stunning then-world No. 15 Clara Tauson of Denmark, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11), last year to become the first Filipina match-winner in any Grand Slam main draw.

The 21-year-old also notched her ninth hardcourt win in her last 11 matches since winning her first WTA Tour title in Washington, building momentum to surpass her Grand Slam-best Round of 16 finish at Wimbledon last month.

“I’m very happy with my level today,” said Eala, who entered this year’s Open with the highest ranking and Grand Slam seeding of her young career.

“It’s never easy, especially in the first round of a tournament – of the US Open nonetheless – and I think Mary has been having some good weeks. So yeah, I’m super happy.”

Eala was on target from the start, landing 77 percent of her first serves and converting four break points.