With more at stake than a match, Oliynykova battles past Eala in Strasbourg

For 2 hours and 52 minutes, Oleksandra Oliynykova and Alexandra Eala put on a show for the Internationaux de Strasbourg crowd. Featuring creativity and grit in equal measure, Oliynykova's 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 triumph was the match of the tournament so far. But as the Ukrainian qualifier explained afterwards, there was much more at stake for her than just winning or losing.

Strasbourg: Scores | Draws | Order of play

Oliynykova's father and manager Denis -- whom she has credited with guiding her into tennis -- has not seen her play live since volunteering for the Ukrainian army two years ago. He will be on leave from tomorrow, and travelling to France. Oliynykova needed to win her first-round match to ensure that he can see her play this week in Strasbourg before he returns to the frontline.

"For me it was so important," the 24-year-old explained in her on-court interview. "Because he's now coming here, and every match he will see, and every day is so important because I don't know when he will see my match the next time. I was thinking about this before the match, and it was emotionally so important for me."

The contest itself was a thrilling stylistic contrast in which Oliynykova sought to disrupt Eala's flat hitting with variety and continually shifting tactics. But if their games were dissimilar, the pair shared a tenacious fighting spirit -- manifest in several riveting multi-deuce tussles.

Eala had the run of play early on, committing to coming forwards to cut off Oliynykova's looping defensive shots. The Filipina navigated 14 deuces through the last three games of the first set, and finished it with a superb forehand pass. She also threatened an absurd second-set comeback after trailing 4-0 (0-40), fending off five break points to fall behind 5-0 and instead managing to level at 5-5.

In total, Eala saved 15 of the 23 break points she faced, while converting six out of nine on Oliynykova's serve. But No. 66-ranked Oliynykova's resilience in the face of missed opportunities was remarkable. She continued to use every shot in the book to construct points with clarity of purpose, closing out the second set by using her forehand slice to pull Eala forwards before nailing the pass.

Down 2-1 in the decider, in the face of some of Oliynykova's finest shot-making -- including an absurd forehand slice faded for a winner on the clay -- Eala appeared to have won the most pivotal tussle of the lot. She survived an eight-deuce hold, staving off five break points, and immediately pressed home her advantage to break for 3-2.

But following that changeover, it was Oliynykova who surged. Adding more outright aggression to her groundstrokes, she reeled off the last four games of the match in a row to claim her third Top 50 win of the season. Afterwards, she said that simply being part of such a match helped her get through it.

"It's an absolutely amazing match," Oliynykova said. "In one moment in the third set when it was 3-3, very close, I just told myself that I can relax because tennis already won. I can be proud with this match. And maybe this is something that helped me be more free at the end and win three games in a row to win."

Next up for Oliynykova will be No. 8 seed Marie Bouzkova, who defeated Katerina Siniakova 7-6(3), 6-3 in an all-Czech derby -- and for the first time since summer 2024, she'll have her father in the stands cheering her on.

Earlier, No. 5 seed Madison Keys withdrew from the tournament due to a left thigh injury -- an issue that also caused her to retire from the Paris WTA 125 final on Sunday while leading Diane Parry 6-3, 3-3.

"I've unfortunately obtained a small injury, and I've decided it's best to withdraw from Strasbourg to get healthy and ready to compete in Roland Garros," the 2024 champion said in a statement. "I wish the event all the best and hope to see everyone next year."

Lucky loser Zhang Shuai replaces Keys in the draw, and will face Cristina Bucsa on Tuesday.