Iga Swiatek gives assessment of her error-strewn performance after Alexandra Eala revenge win in Madrid
World No.2 Iga Swiatek made 57 unforced errors against Alexandra Eala in the second round of the Madrid Open.
Follow Us
Iga Swiatek, Alexandra Eala (Image via X/Out of Context Iga Swiatek, Jimmie48 Photography)
Iga Swiatek came from a set down to take revenge on Alexandra Eala when they met in the second round of the ongoing Madrid Open. The match, which lasted for 2 hours and 15 minutes, saw Swiatek win five consecutive games from 4-4 in the second set, before eventually booking a spot in the third round with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 scoreline.
Swiatek avoided another defeat at the hands of the Filipina as before Madrid, the Pole fell in straight sets in the Miami Open quarterfinals. With the win, the Pole also avoided an early exit at a WTA 1000 tournament in nearly four years, as she was defeated in the second round of the 2021 Cincinnati Open.
Swiatek committed 57 unforced errors throughout the match- 25 in the first set. Following the match, Swiatek said the reason she was successful in eking out a win despite making too many mistakes was because she was playing on clay.
I’m not exactly sure, because I felt I was making too many mistakes overall, so there wasn’t a specific adjustment. I wanted to keep my margins and play a bit safer, hit more balls because I was making unforced errors that weren’t necessary. On clay, I feel that sometimes I have a bit of an advantage in situations where Alexandra could gain more on faster hard courts.
Iga Swiatek said at the press conference
Swiatek has now took a 1-1 head-to-head lead over the Filipina. Prior to the 23-year-old, Eala eliminated Viktoriya Tomova in the first round.
Iga Swiatek wants to forget her past disappointments to focus only on the Madrid Open
The past few months haven’t been great for Iga Swiatek as she not only failed to win a title but was unsuccessful in reaching a final. Since winning her third consecutive and fourth overall French Open last year, the World No.2 has failed to lay her hands on a title.
So far in the season, Swiatek advanced to three semifinals. Before the Madrid Open, Swiatek got knocked out of the Stuttgart Open after losing a three-set quarterfinal match to Jelena Ostapenko, who improved her head-to-head record over the five-time Grand Slam champion to 6-0. But Swiatek won’t let these disappointments affect her in the Spanish capital.
It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t always positive, because obviously I know how I can play and I was sure that I wasn’t playing my game. But honestly, I don’t know, the past few weeks haven’t been easy in general, so I’m trying to take it easy and focus only on the next point.
Iga Swiatek said at the press conference
Swiatek is bidding to win her second Madrid Open title, having won the WTA 1000 title last year by saving three championship points against World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. She had come close to the title back in 2023 as well as she advanced to the final, though fell in three sets to the three-time Grand Slam singles champion.
The 22-time singles title winner will next lock horns with Linda Noskova, against whom she is 4-1 in the head-to-head record and also clinched victories in their last three matches. Swiatek would have scheduled her seventh match against Ostapenko. But alas, the tennis community won’t be able to watch another Swiatek-Ostapenko match as the latter, right after beating Sabalenka in the Stuttgart Open final, lost to an unranked Anastasija Sevastova in the second round.
Swiatek is expected to end her trophy drought on clay. Last year, she lifted three of her five titles on the clay swing, winning the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, and the French Open. She also bagged the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)