MADRID - Iga Swiatek proved her mettle against the promising teenager Alexandra Eala, shaking off an earlier quarterfinal loss to the same opponent with a gritty 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory in the second round of the Madrid Open on Thursday.
The Polish star, ranked second in the world and reigning champion in Madrid, had stumbled against Eala last month in Miami. But this time, Swiatek found the resilience to disrupt the Filipino's game, staging a comeback on the central court of the iconic Caja Magica.
Nineteen-year-old Eala, hailing from Rafael Nadal's academy, started strong and used her potent left-handed shots to claim the first set. Yet Swiatek, a former world No. 1, managed to flip the script, capitalizing on a drop in focus from her young adversary.
Swiatek's quest for her first final of the season continues as she aims to solidify her dominance after having reached three semifinals this year, including at the Australian Open and Indian Wells. Meanwhile, Eala's stunning performance saw her beat Grand Slam winners like Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys in Miami, propelling her to world No. 72.
Earlier in the day, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva advanced to the third round by defeating Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 6-4. Brazil's Bia Haddad Maia made an impressive comeback to oust Bernarda Pera 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.
On the men's side, Kei Nishikori, formerly ranked No. 4 globally, celebrated his 450th career victory by overcoming Alexsandar Vukic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Nishikori, who has been a consistent force in the tennis world for 18 years, expressed surprise at reaching this milestone, with his eyes set on hitting 500 wins.
Unfortunately, third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz had to withdraw from the event due to muscle injuries, shaking up the tournament field.
