Just a month after her stunning victory over World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the Miami quarterfinals, Alexandra Eala is set for another encounter with the Pole in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open. The Filipina wild card earned her spot in the rematch by defeating Viktoriya Tomova 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round match, which lasted 1 hour and 16 minutes.
Eala`s remarkable run to the Miami semifinals, where she also defeated prominent players, propelled her into the Top 100 for the first time, reaching a career-high ranking of World No. 72. Her win against Swiatek was a significant upset, being only the Pole`s third loss to a player outside the Top 100 at tour level. This makes the upcoming sequel highly anticipated.
Having cited `professionalism` as a key factor in her Miami success, Eala stated she has moved on and cleared her mind for the next challenge. “Now that the dust has settled, I try not to think about Miami so much,” she commented after her win over Tomova. “Personally, of course it comes to mind when everyone’s asking – but in my mind, I have my whole life to look back at those moments and I`ll always have those memories. But the tour goes on, competition goes on, so right now I`m fully focused on Madrid.”
The 19-year-old is competing in her second tournament since Miami. She was the top seed at the WTA 125 event in Oeiras last week but lost in the second round. However, she rebounded strongly against Tomova in Madrid, displaying aggressive play with 27 winners compared to her opponent`s seven and converting six out of nine break point opportunities, securing her second consecutive first-round win in Madrid.
Defending champion Swiatek is also aiming to find her best form as the clay court season intensifies. She was defeated by Jelena Ostapenko in the Stuttgart quarterfinals last week (her sixth loss against Ostapenko in as many meetings) and has not reached a final since Roland Garros last year. A win against Eala on her favored clay surface would be a crucial step in her Madrid campaign.
Eala, however, anticipates a different dynamic in their upcoming match. “I definitely think that each match is a different story,” she remarked. “Even if it`s against the same player every time – doesn`t matter if I play her at the same time next year in Miami or in Madrid next year, it`s going to be a different story than the last one.”
