By the numbers: Eala reaches US Open third round for first time

Day or night, Alexandra Eala has moved quickly through the US Open so far.

After dropping just three games in her opening-round win under the lights on Tuesday, Eala was equally impressive Thursday, defeating Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-4 in 1 hour, 4 minutes to reach the third round in New York for the first time.

The victory also offered a measure of redemption for Eala, who lost a three-set marathon to Oliynykova at the Internationaux de Strasbourg in May after taking the opening set.

“My patience and consistency of my focus, I think that was the key to winning the match today,” Eala said afterward.

She had good reason to point to both. The No. 17 seed, who reached the Round of 64 in her US Open main-draw debut last year, struck 19 winners against 17 unforced errors while handling Oliynykova’s changes of pace and spin. She also held off a determined push in the second set, breaking serve five times overall.

Next, Eala will face either No. 14 seed Iva Jovic of the United States or British qualifier Francesca Jones -- and one of her good friends.

Other notable numbers from Eala's Louis Armstrong Stadium win included: 

6: Oliynykova hit only six winners in the match -- and all of them came in the second set. 

9: Eala won nine points in a row to start the match, setting the tone early for the afternoon. Oliynykova also hit nine unforced errors in the first seven games.

11: Eala found success when she came to net, winning 11 of 14 points coming forward. 

50: Oliynykova only landed half of her first serves in the match, leading to ample opportunities for Eala on return. The left-hander won 11 of the 18 points played when Oliynykova hit a second serve. 

More to come...