A Clearer Road for Iga Swiatek

MADRID, THURSDAY — Winning against Alexandra Eala and the elimination of Jelena Ostapenko are two positive outcomes for Iga Swiatek at the beginning of her appearance in the WTA 1000 Madrid tennis tournament. The two players had previously eliminated Swiatek in several tournaments before they competed in Madrid, from April 22 to May 4.

Swiatek defeated Eala in the second round at the main court of Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain, on Thursday (24/4/2025) local time. The victory with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 served as retribution for Eala, who had won a month earlier in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 Miami. At that time, Swiatek lost 2-6, 5-7.

Eala, a 19-year-old Filipino tennis player, became one of the players who prevented Swiatek from becoming the champion. In six tournaments in 2025, Swiatek did not win a single title. The world number two player has not even reached a final.

In addition to Eala, other tennis players who eliminated Swiatek during the hard court competition season from January to March include Madison Keys in the Australian Open semifinals, Jelena Ostapenko (WTA 1000 Doha semifinals), and the 17-year-old who defeated her twice in a row, Mirra Andreeva. This Russian player defeated Swiatek in the WTA 1000 Dubai quarterfinals and the WTA 1000 Indian Wells semifinals. The losses in Doha and Indian Wells caused Swiatek to fail to defend her championship title.

Entering the competition on clay courts in April, Swiatek has yet to demonstrate her best abilities. Ostapenko defeated her again, this time in the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 Stuttgart, on April 14-21.

Based on that record, Swiatek carries a heavy burden when appearing in Madrid and is the defending champion. Moreover, Eala is her first opponent, in the second round, after Swiatek got a bye in the first round.

After reaching the final in 2023 and winning the following year, Swiatek almost went out early when Eala won the first set. Eala broke Swiatek in the first game and did the same in the first game of the second set. It wasn't until the third set that Swiatek was able to play more comfortably, reducing her unforced errors.

Despite having a playing strategy that could make it difficult for Eala to reach the ball, such as directing shots to the sidelines or corners of the court, Swiatek made many errors in the first and second sets. Of the total 57 unforced errors, 25 were made in the first set.

She then tried to shorten the rallies to reduce her unforced errors, but it was not until the third set that this worked. Swiatek said it was not easy for her to find the right rhythm.

"I made a lot of unforced errors. So, there were a lot of adjustments to be made, not just one factor. Although I didn't play well from the start, I'm happy I was able to find a solution to solve the problem," he said in an interview with Spanish TV station TVE.

With that victory, Swiatek avoided an early defeat in the WTA 1000 tournament since being eliminated in the second round in Cincinnati in 2021. At that time, Swiatek lost to Ons Jabeur.

Eala, the first Filipino tennis player to break into the top 100 world rankings, is not too disappointed with her performance. She shared that she has exerted her abilities to the fullest.

"Winning the first set and breaking the opponent's serve at the beginning of the second set is certainly advantageous. However, on the other side of the net is a player who has won multiple titles at Roland Garros. In the match earlier, Iga played better at crucial moments compared to in Miami," Eala stated on the official WTA website.

As stated by Eala, Swiatek has won the French Open Grand Slam title four times on the clay courts of Roland Garros, Paris. In addition to her first Grand Slam title in 2020, Swiatek has been the champion for the past three years. This year, the premier tournament in the clay court competition will take place from May 25 to June 8.

Not only was she able to free herself from Eala, but Swiatek is also assured of being free from Ostapenko. The Latvian tennis player, who won the WTA Stuttgart, was eliminated by Anastasia Sevastova in the second round with a score of 6-7 (2), 2-6. Based on the draw, Swiatek and Ostapenko have the opportunity to meet for the third time this year in the fourth round in Madrid.

Although the path for Swiatek has become clearer after defeating Eala, it does not mean it will be easy to navigate. She will face Linda Noskova in the third round. The 20-year-old Czech player defeated Swiatek in the third round of the 2024 Australian Open, despite losing in four other encounters.

In addition to Swiatek, who is seeded second, other seeds that won in the second round in the lower half of the draw include Cori "Coco" Gauff (4), Keys (5), and Andreeva (7). Coco came back from a crushing defeat in the first set to win against Dayana Yastremska with a score of 0-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Meanwhile, the seeded players in the top half of the draw who received a bye in the first round will begin their appearances on Friday. The world number one and top seed, Aryna Sabalenka, will face Anna Blinkova. Jessica Pegula (3), Jasmine Paolini (6), and Zheng Qin Wen (8) will also compete.

In the men's singles competition at the same venue, Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the match. The Spaniard, who won the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid in 2022 and 2023, suffered a left hamstring injury.

Initially, the tennis player, who was seeded second, was set to begin his appearance against Gabriel Diallo in the second round and had the opportunity to compete with Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. However, in order to recover for participation in a larger event, the French Open, Alcaraz chose to withdraw from the Madrid tournament.

Last week, Alcaraz competed on home soil at the ATP 500 Barcelona tournament, but lost to Holger Rune in the final. “During the final in Barcelona, I felt discomfort in my left hamstring. I am disappointed not to be able to play here in front of the Spanish public, my family and my friends. But this is the situation I have to face,” Alcaraz told the ATP website.

Alcaraz's position in the draw was then replaced by Kamil Majchrzak. The Polish player was a lucky loser after losing in qualifying.

In the first round held on Thursday, 18-year-old Brazilian tennis player, Joao Fonseca, defeated qualifier Elmer Muller, 6-2, 6-3. The next challenge for the 2024 ATP Next Gen Finals champion comes from 11th seed Tommy Paul. (AP/AFP)