Fresh off her stunning Miami Open quarterfinal upset, Filipina rising star Alex Eala looked to repeat the feat — but this time, world No. 2 Iga Świątek had other plans, powering past Eala with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory in the Madrid Open’s Round of 64.
The conditions in Madrid presented a new challenge for Eala. Unlike in Miami the two clashed on clay, Świątek’s favorite surface, on Thursday in Madrid. The 23-year-old Polish star is not only the defending champion of the tournament, but also a four-time French Open winner — with three of those titles coming consecutively from 2022 to 2024. Heading into the match, there was no question she was the heavy favorite.
Yet Eala came out swinging. She immediately broke Świątek’s serve in the opening game and continued to apply pressure, earning another crucial break in the seventh to build a commanding 5-2 lead.
True to her world-class reputation, Świątek responded with a run of eight straight points, closing the gap to 5-4 and threatening to flip the script. But the 19-year-old Eala stayed calm under pressure, and closed out the set with confidence.
The second set proved to be a tighter contest, with both players trading service breaks and neither able to pull away. Locked at 4-4, the momentum swung back and forth, keeping the crowd on edge. It began to feel like a repeat of their first encounter in Miami, where the match hung in the balance. Both Eala and Świątek dug deep, raising their level as the pressure mounted, each searching for the crucial breakthrough that could tilt the set and the match in their favor.
But Świątek had just a bit more left in her arsenal to close out the set, securing her third break of Eala’s serve in the 10th game. She sealed the win with a flurry of impressive forehands, finishing the set with a commanding 16-6 edge in winners.
Świątek carried her momentum into the deciding set, racing to a commanding 5-1 lead as she cleaned up the unforced errors that had troubled her in the opener. Eala, refusing to go down quietly, mounted a last-ditch effort by breaking Świątek’s serve in the seventh game. But the defending champion quickly shut the door, breaking back to seal the match.
Despite the defeat, Eala’s performance was nothing short of impressive. She proved she can go toe-to-toe with the world’s best woman on clay and is a clear sign of her rapid development – a readiness to compete at the highest level of women’s tennis.
An Eala win would have snapped Świątek’s 26 straight wins on clay. Eala is now expected to participate in the 2025 Italian Open, before heading out to Roland Garros in her Grand Slam debut as a non-wildcard in the French Open.
