Alexandra Eala is “ready” to beat Iga Swiatek for the second consecutive time at the Madrid Open

Alexandra Eala will face Iga Swiatek in the second round of the Madrid Open, a rematch of the Miami Open quarter-finals.

Alexandra Eala is “ready” to beat Iga Swiatek for the second consecutive time at the Madrid Open

Iga Swiatek and Alexandra Eala (Image via CGTN Sports Scene)

Alexandra Eala earned her first Madrid Open main draw victory against Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova in the first round. The Filipino star is now set to take on Iga Swiatek for the second time this season in her bid to reach the third round of the WTA 1000 tournament. She revealed after her maiden win that she’s ready to challenge the World No.2.

Eala earned a place in the main draw of the Madrid Open after being ranked 72nd in the WTA. The 19-year-old earned the position after a fairytale run at the Miami Open, where she got to the semi-final. Against Tomova in Madrid, she produced a stellar performance to beat the Bulgarian 6-3, 6-2.

She will now clash against Swiatek in the second round of the Madrid Open. It will be their second meeting in just one month. They first met at the Miami Open, where Eala displayed incredible and courageous tennis to beat the World No.2 in straight sets. However, that was on the hard court, Madrid will be their first clay-court meeting.

Eala is relishing her second encounter with Swiatek and has declared that she will be ready for whatever the Polish star brings. The World No.72nd added that she will go with the same mentality she had during her first victory in Miami.

[I’m going in] with the same mentality as every match. She’s a big player, so I have to be ready for what she’s gonna bring. Just because I beat her last time, it’s not like, oh, I’m gonna beat her this time. The work’s not done yet, and the pressure is not over yet.

Alexandra Eala said via ABS-CBN

Eala’s latest victory means that she’s now the second Asian teenager to claim five or more WTA 1000 wins in a calendar year. She follows the footsteps of former US Open champion Naomi Osaka, who was the first Asian player to achieve the feat in 2017.

Alexandra Eala excited at earning her first Madrid Open win

Alexandra Eala began her first-round match against Viktoriya Tomova trailing 1-2 before she broke the Bulgarian. She then proceeded to win four consecutive points and took control of the match. She ended the second set with the same momentum as the first, making sure her opponent didn’t have a chance of any comeback. After the victory, she couldn’t hide her excitement on the court.

Alexandra Eala (3)
Alexandra Eala (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

Super fun! It was huge and the atmosphere was just incredible. I’m so happy with the way I performed and I kept my cool throughout the whole match. I think you just have to go with no doubts and trust your shots. It happens in every match. There are tough games in every match and tough moments. So, trust that I know how to deal with it.

Alexandra Eala added

Eala will seek to continue with her Miami Open form on clay. But that might be hard as she hasn’t played in a big tournament on the surface which is entirely different from the hard court.

Alexandra Eala vs. Iga Swiatek so far

Alexandra Eala facing Iga Swiatek at the Madrid Open will be totally different from what one experienced on the fast, hard court in Miami. The clay court is known to be slower and more complicated than the hard court. Eala might have prevailed in Florida, but Madrid has become a fortress to Swiatek in recent years.

Alexandra Eala, Iga Swiatek
Alexandra Eala, Iga Swiatek (Image via X/Daily Tribune Sports, WTA)

In fact, Swiatek has reached the final two consecutive times and is currently the defending champion. She has 101 clay match victories under her belt, and she’s the favorite to win the title by next week. Nonetheless, she has struggled to meet her expectations this season and has failed to defend any title this season.

Madrid is a tournament in which Swiatek has a lot to prove, while Eala has nothing to lose. Swiatek will head into the match with confidence in her clay record but with a bit of fear because of her recent loss to the Filipino. On the other hand, Eala will look to be fearless and aggressive as she tries to make history in the competition.

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