Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Alexandra Eala blindsided Iga Swiatek in a massive Miami Open upset last month.
Reigning Mutua Madrid Open champion Swiatek plays for revenge revision in Madrid.
The second-seeded Swiatek faces Eala in her Madrid Opener.
Today, Swiatek said she's aiming to make adjustments—not predictions—ahead of their rematch on red clay.
"We'll see. I mean, honestly, with Alexandra, like it's not like we played a lot, so it's hard for me to say," Swiatek told the media in Madrid today. "I guess I'll just need to see and adjust.
"We'll talk for sure about the tactics today with [coach] Wim [Fissette] and, yeah, but I'm not going to predict anything, like I'm not a wizard."
Even wizened wizards would have been spellbound by how Eala deconstructed the five-time Grand Slam champion in the Sunshine State.
The 19-year-old wild card Eala broke Swiatek eight times in 10 service games scoring a stunning 6-2, 7-5 triumph that will go down as one of the greatest upsets in Miami Open history.
"I think I’ve been loving the way I'm out there on court and I’m trusting my shots and I have great team telling me I can do it," Eala said. "Yeah, that’s the secret."
The former world No. 1's forehand failed her: Swiatek committed 24 forehand errors in two sets. The teenager's assertive return posture seemed to spook Swiatek, who won just six of 25 points played on her second serve.
"For sure, I didn't know she's going to play that flat, but besides that, well, she was really aggressive, you know, and she kept her focus," Swiatek told the media in Miami. "And, like, I don't know, some of these shots were pretty like out of nowhere.
"But still, you know, I could see clearly she has intentions to go forward and to push. So it worked for her today, for sure."
Will Eala's assertive style work as well on Madrid's dirt? Eala repeatedly burned Swiatek with down the line drives, which won't be as easy on the clay. And will the teenager's serve stand up to the four-time Roland Garros champion's return game on dirt?
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The 23-year-old Swiatek, who fell to nemesis Jelena Ostapenko in last week's Stuttgart quarterfinals, said she can exert her defensive skills more successfully on dirt to extend points.
"Tennis for me it's the most logical there [on clay], and also you can be more creative in terms of the tactics and everything, so I really enjoy that," Swiatek told the media in Madrid. "Yeah, I think when I feel like I can use this on a match court, for sure I am more relaxed.
"I just know my weapons, I know I always have a plan B in my defense, which sometimes is impossible, you know, on faster hard courts, for example. So I just use that and it gives me confidence for sure."