Madrid opens 2025: Iga Swiatek beats Alexandra Eala to avoid Miami duplication
Iga Swiatek avoided a shocking defeat against Filipino teenager Alexandra Eala to win their second round of Madrid Open.
World No. 2 Swiatek, who was shocked by Eala in Miami last month, won Eala on Spanish clay 4-6 6-4 6-2.
A sticky start seems to justify some pre-match speeches, as Swiatek may have problems dealing with her teenage rivals.
Swiatek then said: “I know there is hype for these young players, but you have to focus on yourself.”
“Honestly, I didn’t realize that I had better thinking.”
Swiatek lost in Stuttgart quarterfinal last week, taking goodbye in Madrid's first round, producing some edgy ground in a bad group.
The 25 unmandatory error count suggests that this is the performance of the major clay players in the WTA Tour's recent seasons.
The error continues as Poland, 23, falls early in the second set.
Swiatek, a Madrid champion, has a lot of ranking points in European clay swing, and he looks troublesome.
It feels like the story of 19-year-old Eala when she was ranking outside the top 100 in the world, beating her on Miami hard court.
But five-time major champion Swiatek refocused and retuned to rewind, then controlled the improvement and precision of her overwhelmed EALA from baseline.
