After getting past Mary Stoiana in the first round of the 2026 US Open, Alex Eala turns her attention to Oleksandra Oliynykova.
Eala advanced to the Round of 64 after a 6-1, 6-2 win over Stoiana at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Oliynykova, on the other hand, defeated Reese Brantmeier in the first-round 6-4, 6-4.
Who is Oleksandra Oliynykova?
Oleksandra Oliynykova is a 25-year-old Ukranian tennis player. She turned pro in 2017, though she only became a full-timer in 2023.
Oliynykova made her Grand Slam debut earlier this year at the Australian Open, losing to Madison Keys in the first round. She reached the third round of the French Open and the first round of Wimbledon.
Born on January 3, 2001, Oliynykova three WTA 125 singles titles and two ITD doubles titles to her name. She also has a win over Alex Eala at this year’s Strasbourg Open in May, beating the Filipino ace 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Oliynykova only entered the Top 100 rankings late last year and is currently ranked World No. 44. She is known for an unorthodox style, which some people criticized, though it hasn’t affected her. She continues to climb up the ranks over the past year.
Oliynykova’s Face ‘Tattoos’
At the 2026 Australian Open, Oleksandra Oliynykova went viral on social media for having face tattoos. Oliynykova spoke to reporters after her first-round loss to Madison Keys and explained what her face “tattoos” were.
“It’s temporary tattoos,” Oliynykova said, via news.com.au. “I take them off after the match with, like, cleansing oil. “And it doesn’t have meaning, because I just got some fun idea at the US Open. I was going shopping, and I saw this, like, face tattoo, these fake tattoos. Then I started to change them.
“I played with stars, with hearts, now it’s flowers,” she added. “Yeah, it’s part of the style. Maybe you saw it was matching the outfit and the court, as well. Blue dress, blue flowers, blue court.”
The tattoos have became part of Oliynykova’s style on and off the court, so it will be interesting to see what she has in store against Alex Eala.
Oliynykova also went viral for her post-match press conference T-shirt at the Australian Open. It contained a political message, which is discouraged by Grand Slam guidelines, but it was her tribute to her father, who is a soldier for the Ukrainian army.
How to Watch Alex Eala vs. Oleksandra Oliynykova?
The Alex Eala vs. Oleksandra Oliynykova match is scheduled to start around 12:40 p.m. EST.
It will air on one of ESPN’s channels, with Eala’s last match against Mary Stoiana airing on ESPN2. But with the Eala-Oliynykova match scheduled on daytime, it will likely be on the main ESPN channel.
However, ESPN’s tennis feeds usually move between matches, so it’s better to stream the match on the ESPN App to watch without any interruptions.
Who is Oleksandra Oliynykova? Get to Know Alex Eala’s Next US Open Opponent