Iga Swiatek, the defending champion at the Madrid Open, fought off a tough challenge from 19-year-old Alexandra Eala to begin her title defense with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory in the second round. The match, played on Thursday at the Caja Magica in Madrid, saw Swiatek struggle early on as Eala, ranked 72nd, took advantage of the Pole’s early mistakes.
Eala, who had already made a splash earlier this year with a shock run to the Miami Open semi-finals, stunned Swiatek by breaking the world number two’s serve in the opening game. The young Filipino, showing impressive resilience, held her own in the following games, even saving multiple break points as Swiatek searched for a way to get into the match.
Despite the setbacks, Eala capitalized on Swiatek’s inconsistency to break the defending champion once more for a commanding 5-2 lead in the first set. Swiatek fought back, recovering a break to make it 5-4, but Eala maintained her composure and clinched the first set after Swiatek sent a backhand long on her third set point.
Swiatek’s struggle with unforced errors continued in the opening set, where she converted just one of six break points. Eala, on the other hand, was clinical, converting both of her break opportunities.
The second set began similarly, with Eala again breaking Swiatek’s serve in the first game. However, Swiatek responded immediately, breaking back and leveling the set at 1-1. The momentum slowly shifted as Swiatek began to raise her level. After a back-and-forth battle, Swiatek broke Eala’s serve in the 10th game of the set, forcing a decisive third set.
In the final set, Swiatek found her rhythm, securing breaks in the second and sixth games to take a commanding 5-2 lead. Eala showed her determination, saving a match point with a strong rally and breaking back to make it 5-3. However, Swiatek’s consistency and experience ultimately saw her through, as Eala went long on her final shot, giving Swiatek the win after two hours and 19 minutes.
Reflecting on the match, Swiatek admitted that she struggled to find her timing early on. “It wasn’t easy to get into the rhythm, and the right timing, and I’m happy that I was just patient,” she said in a post-match interview. “I always love playing here, for sure I’m proud of my performances in the last two years.”
Swiatek acknowledged that her level of play wasn’t where she wanted it to be but was able to adjust and focus on minimizing errors. “For sure I wanted to keep my margins and play a little bit more safe, just play more balls in because I was making some unforced errors that weren’t really necessary,” she added.
Swiatek now moves on to the third round, where she will face Czech Linda Noskova, who advanced after a strong showing in her previous match.
In other results from the day, former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko was ousted by her Latvian compatriot Anastasija Sevastova, who won 7-6 (7/2), 6-2. Madison Keys, the fifth seed, continued her solid form with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Lucia Bronzetti, setting up a third-round clash with Anna Kalinskaya.
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff, the fourth seed, had a difficult time against Dayana Yastremska but ultimately triumphed 0-6, 6-2, 7-5. Gauff fought through multiple match points and an emotional roller-coaster in the third set to secure the win. The 2023 US Open champion will next face American Ann Li in the third round.
