Madrid Open: No fairytale for Alexandra Eala as Iga Swiatek avenges Miami shocker

World No.2 Iga Swiatek came back from a set down to beat the young Alexandra Eala from the Philippines in the second round of the Madrid Open 2025. On Thursday, April 24, Swiatek, who’s also a defending champion, took two hours and 15 minutes to beat Eala 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 at Manolo Santana.
Last month, Eala, who graduated from the Rafael Nadal Academy in 2023, defeated Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 in the Miami Open. It was her third win on the trot against Grand Slam champions after she also defeated Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys. The win helped her become the first woman from the Philippines to break into the top 100.
On Thursday, the current World No.72 won the opening set and then went a break up early in the second. But Swiatek brought forth all her experience to come up trumps. The Pole said that one needs to be smart to play in Madrid, where the clay-courts are uncharacteristically fast.
“I feel like my topspin will work here. And I feel like the courts are pretty fast. It’s not like classic clay where the ball bounce is super slow. I think you need to be smart with tactics. Sometimes, play with spin, sometimes a bit more flat to keep the ball going fast. I’m gonna try to balance that in the next matches,” Swiatek said in the on-court interview.