Alex Eala breezes past top Bulgarian, sets rematch vs world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in Madrid
A gripping rematch awaits Alex Eala as the Filipina tennis sensation marches to the second round against Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in the Madrid Open
MANILA, Philippines – Last week was a warm-up of sorts for the clay court season.
This week is when the big fights happen. And Alex Eala showed she is locked in and primed for battle, in time for a rematch against former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, whom she stunned just last month for the biggest win of the Filipina teen’s career.
Featured for the first time at the tournament center court, Eala overcame some testy moments early in the match before prevailing in dominant fashion over the top player from Bulgaria, Viktoriya Tomova, 6-3, 6-2, in the opening round of the WTA Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday, April 22, at the Manolo Santana Stadium.
With the victory, Eala will march to the second round where Swiatek, now ranked No. 2, awaits.
Christened the “Queen of Clay” for having won three of the last four editions of the French Open, Swiatek will be coming in fresh from an opening-round bye.
The Polish star saw action in last week’s 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, where she was eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Eala, on the other hand, exited in the second round of the WTA 125 Oeiras in Portugal last week.
