(September 3, 2026) FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – Seeds Naomi Osaka, Alexandra Eala and Madison Keys have all moved into the third round of the US Open.
The No. 13 seed Osaka defeated Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 in the opening match at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday. After jumping out to a 6-2, 4-2 lead, she started to toss in a errors, 20 of them, which her Czech opponent took advantage of to win the second set.
The four-time major champion regained control in the third set, taking a 2-0 lead.
“The match was definitely really tough and I don’t know, I just felt like I had to fight,” Osaka said. “I definitely had a couple opportunities in the second set and I think I was a little bit too hard on myself. So I took the bathroom break, regrouped a little, came back and just tried to have no regrets.”
“I’m quite fortunate to have a lot of high-quality matches that went in my favor. Especially, like, whenever I think of going into the third set and I need to regroup, I literally only specifically think of the 2021 Australian Open Final.
“Then it’s just like you can just pull from your memory bank for every certain situation that you need to get finished. I think that’s, like, the best thing about being a more experienced player. You’ve been able to play so many different matches in different situations.
“Here obviously I’ve had a lot of good memories, and I hope to continue making them.”
The Alexandra Eala “express” keeps moving. Eala, the 17th seed from the Philippines, beat Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-4 in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Eala made her big fan base happy by winning the first nine points of the match.
“I’m really happy with my performance,” she told reporters. “I think I played well. I had a good mindset, so super happy.”
“It means a lot for me to get to the weekend, and this is my first time being in the third round here at the US Open, she added. “Big achievement for me, as well”
“I think everybody represents something in their own way; I’m Filipino and I proudly represent that,” Eala said. “And a lot of the crowd here today is Filipino and I’m sure they share in that sentiment.”
Former Australian Open champion and No. 22 seed Madison Keys came back from five match points down to beat Anna Bondar 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (10-5).
