Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
On a sun-swept afternoon, Iga Swiatek felt threatening rumblings.
Down a set to 19-year-old nemesis Alexandra Eala, Swiatek was in no mood to see lightning strike again.
Thundering through five games in a row, Swiatek deconstructed Eala 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to score her seventh straight Mutua Madrid Open win to advance to the third round.
Defending champion Swiatek avenged her Miami Open upset loss to Eala a month after that south Florida shocker.
On that day, the 140th-ranked 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.
In Miami, Eala exploited the faster hard court often stepping in to zap second-serve returns down the line.
On the clay of Madrid, it was dirt Deja vu for the reigning champion for a set-and-a-half.
Then Swiatek began to dial in her drives and decimate the 5’9” Filipina’s soft second serve. Swiatek broke serve seven times as Eala won just five points on second serve over the last two sets.
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Continuing her quest for her first title since she defeated Jasmine Paolini in the 2024 Roland Garros final, Swiatek will face another tough test in Linda Noskova next.
The 31st-seeded Noskova swept Argentinean Maria Lourdes Carle 7-5, 6-1 in 97 minutes.
Though Swiatek has won four of five meetings vs. Noskova, the hard-hitting baseliner from Czechia famously upset the Pole at the 2024 Australian Open. Two of their last three meetings have spanned the three-set distance, including Swiatek’s 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-4 win in Doha earlier this season.
There’s a lot to like about Eala’s game, including her skill taking the ball on the rise, her fearless down the line drives and the competitive spirit she exudes consistently elevating her game against the game’s best players.
On the second point of the match, Eala slid a forehand winner down the line sparking the opening-game break.
The 2022 US Open girls’ champion denied a pair of break points navigating a six-minute hold confirming the break for 2-0.
That Eala hold set a pattern for the opening set. Swiatek earned break points in Eala’s first four service games, but the Filipina fought through stress with some running strikes.
Fighting off a break point, Eala slid an ace wide to hold for 4-2. World No. 72 Eala aggressive return position is a bit reminiscent of the young Marion Bartoli. At times, Eala was four or five feet inside the baseline to pounce on Swiatek’s second serve. Swiatek would have been wise to slam some body serves right into the hip to jam up Eala, but instead she tried touching lines.
Robbing the Pole’s reaction time, Eala spooked Swiatek into a double fault to gift the break and a 5-2 lead. Eala saved five of six break points snatching the 50-minute opener—the third straight set she’d won over the former world No. 1.
An erratic Swiatek scattered 25 unforced errors in the opener—eight more than her opponent.
In Madrid’s altitude, Swiatek’s forehand was flying on her again to start the second set. Stepping in on another return, Eala whipped a diagonal forehand winner for a break point and converted her third break to start the second set.
The second seed broke right back at 15 to level after two games. Point-to-point consistency eluded Swiatek against Eala’s baseline aggression. Those highs and lows were evident in the fifth game.
Facing triple break point, Swiatek slammed three winners in a row—including an ace down the T—only to bash a routine rally backhand long to face a fourth break point. Pouncing on the serve, Eala roped a return down the line forcing an error to earn her second break of the set for a 3-2 advantage. Swiatek broke back in the sixth game.
Landing her first serve with more frequency empowered Swiatek who stamped a strong hold at 15 to edge ahead 5-4.
Firing through her most assertive stretch of the match, Swiatek slashed a swing volley winner for triple set point. When Eala sent a forehand beyond the baseline, Swiatek seized the second set.
Swiatek won eight of the last nine points, scoring her second love break of the day to force a final set after 95 minutes of play.
Swinging more freely, Swiatek held at love to start the decider then repeatedly attacked the Eala second serve. That assault hounded Eala’s head as she double-faulted away the break.
Facing a 15-30 deficit in game three, Swiatek caught a break as Eala bungled successive forehand volleys. The second seed stood tall holding for her fifth consecutive game and a 3-0 lead.
While the 19-year-old Eala is a terrific talent with tremendous timing, her game is still a work in progress as you’d expect of someone playing just her 23rd Tour-level match. Though she can find the sharp angle wide on the ad side with her first serve, Eala’s second serve is simply a point starter that she sometimes hit slower than 75 mph, which is typically fodder for Top 10 players.
Eala bungled a couple of forehand volleys before Swiatek tomahawked a backhand winner stretching her lead to 5-1.
Two games later, the defending champion closed it in two hours, 15 minutes.
The former No. 1 benefitted from veteran Anastasija Sevastova surprising Stuttgart champion Jelena Ostapenko 7-6(2), 6-2. The 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko knocked off Swiatek in the quarterfinals and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in Monday’s final to capture the Stuttgart championship. Ostapenko is 6-0 lifetime vs. Swiatek—best record of any active woman—and was on track to potentially face the Pole in the Madrid round of 16 before today’s defeat.