Alex Eala gives a brave effort but falls short against defending champion Iga Swiatek in Madrid

Alex Eala of the Philippines continues to impress against Iga Swiatek in their Madrid Open match, but the World No. 2 demonstrates why she is the clay court queen.

Despite Alex Eala’s impressive performance, reigning champion Iga Swiatek ensured victory. Swiatek defeated Eala 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of the Madrid Open at Manolo Santana Stadium on Thursday, April 24. She had previously lost in the Miami Open quarterfinals. Swiatek exacted retribution after being swept by the Filipina rising star, 2-6, 5-7, in Miami over a month ago.

Iga Swiatek resets to beat Alex Eala in the Madrid Open and opens championship defence.

MADRID — The Tennis Channel provided a graphic depicting Alexandra Eala’s probable road to the Madrid Open final. This may have seemed a little early for the world No. 72, who is 19 and has never attended a WTA tournament without a wildcard, but it appeared even more so considering her second-round opponent. Iga Świątek, a defending Madrid champion, four-time French Open winner, and 23-year-old candidate for the title of finest women’s clay-court player, may have been overlooked in Eala’s biography.

Świątek’s up-and-down start to the year, including a loss to nemesis Jelena Ostapenko at the Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, has highlighted her weakness on her favourite surface.

In this backdrop, Thursday’s 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Eala was very rewarding. Eala, a skilled left-hander from the Philippines, surprised Świątek in their first match in Miami a month ago. On that occasion, Świątek struggled to manage Eala’s angles and her omnidirectional forehand, overhitting on many returns against a spinny but ultimately sluggish serve.

Świątek had to dig deep to prevent a recurrence of that outcome, rallying from a set deficit and two break downs. Świątek lost her serve right away during their clash in Miami, which was not surprising given the previous service interruptions. She had a couple of opportunities to break back right away but missed both because Eala’s slow-paced deliveries looked to hamper her timing in the Madrid altitude.

Świątek had four break points in five return games but only converted one, resulting in a double break behind. Świątek was in control of most of the games and points, but continued overhitting early in rallies. He was unable to take advantage of Eala’s restricted mobility on clay by crafting points, instead aiming for too much too early. There were instances when she appeared to be thrown off by her opponent’s sluggish serve, as evidenced by the fact that in the opening set, Eala won more points on her second serve (58 percent) than her first (54 percent).

Świątek committed 22 unforced errors in the first set, accounting for 63% of Eala’s 35 points.

Alex Eala won the opening set against Iga Świątek. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) )

Eala broke again at the opening of the second set, aided by another bizarre double fault from Swiatek when she had a game point. The Filipina’s aggressive posture on the Pole’s second serve pushed Świątek to overcommit. Świątek struggled to react to her opponent’s slow second serves, which reached her side of the net at only 70mph.

She was, however, getting a better feel for Eala’s delivery and broke back quickly for 1-1. After trading breaks, Świątek broke to love with her most patient game of the match, pushing Eala from side to side and sending the ball away with plenty of room to the lines to win the second set 6-4 and draw the match at one-set all.

Świątek’s consistency and durability helped her win the match, despite Eala’s break at 1-5. She smashed a return winner down the line at 2-5, 40-40, and then patiently built a rally to draw an error from Eala’s racket, bringing the match to end.

This was not just a crucial victory after last week’s defeat against Ostapenko, but a timely reminder that on a clay court, there are very few matches in which Świątek is not the protagonist, regardless of the fanfare surrounding her opponent.