Defending champion Iga Swiatek avoided a second consecutive loss to Alexandra Eala at a WTA 1000 event by completing a three-set comeback at the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday. Swiatek recovered from a set and a break down to defeat the teenager from the Philippines with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Swiatek had suffered a surprising straight-sets defeat to Eala in the Miami quarterfinals. In Madrid, it seemed another upset was possible as she fell behind 6-4, 3-2. However, the World No. 2 regained her composure, winning five straight games from 4-4 in the second set, ultimately completing the turnaround in 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Swiatek prevented her earliest exit from a WTA 1000 tournament in almost four years; her previous second-round loss at this level was at the 2021 Cincinnati Open. This victory also extended her winning streak in opening matches at Hologic WTA Tour events (including United Cup and WTA Finals) to 58 consecutive wins, a run dating back to a round-robin loss to Maria Sakkari at the 2021 year-end championships.
After the match, Swiatek commented, “It wasn`t easy to get into the rhythm and feel the right timing, so I`m happy that I was just patient.”
In the first set, Swiatek accounted for 25 of her total 57 unforced errors for the match. She finished the contest with 40 winners. Swiatek significantly improved her serve, winning 85% of points on her first serve in the deciding set after her percentage was below 60% in the first two sets. Her return game also sharpened, leading to her converting seven out of sixteen break point opportunities against Eala.
Reflecting on the rematch, Eala stated, “I’m happy with the match, happy with how I competed. Obviously, being a set and a break up is a good position, but you have to remember there`s another person on the other side of the court, especially a multiple Roland Garros champion. She played well too… There are things to take away and learn from this.”
“What was different [between Madrid and Miami], in my opinion,” Eala added, “was that she executed better in the important moments, and her level was slightly higher than mine at specific points in the match.”
Aiming for her first final of the season, Swiatek`s next opponent will be another player who has troubled her previously: No. 31 seed Linda Noskova. While Swiatek has won their last three encounters since her loss to Noskova at last year`s Australian Open, two of those victories required three sets. Should Swiatek advance, she might feel some relief knowing that Jelena Ostapenko, against whom Swiatek has a difficult 0-6 record, was defeated by her compatriot Anastasija Sevastova while Swiatek was still on court against Eala.
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth