Nineteen-year-old Alexandra Eala, who caused a sensation with her performance in Miami last month, shows remarkable composure for her age.
In fact, her success surprised Eala herself.
Before the hard-court tournament, the charming Filipina was ranked No. 140 in the PIF WTA Rankings and had never defeated a Top 100 player in a WTA Tour main draw match. Astonishingly, she then proceeded to beat three Grand Slam champions – World No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko, World No. 5 Madison Keys, and World No. 2 Iga Swiatek – on her memorable run to the semifinals.
While Eala believed she had the capability to challenge top-ranked opponents, the scale of her victories was unexpected.
“What was quite a shock to me was that I won against Top 10 and Top 5 players,” Eala commented on Tuesday. “So happy shock, of course. But the mindset is still, especially before matches, that you can beat them.”
She will need to tap into that confident mentality again on Thursday afternoon for her second-round match at the Mutua Madrid Open. Following her solid 6-3, 6-2 victory over Viktoriya Tomova, Eala is set for a swift rematch against Iga Swiatek, who boasts the best record on clay among active players (90-12, .882 win rate).
“Iga is an all-court player,” Eala stated. “I think that she plays well on hard, she plays well on clay. But I definitely think that each match is a different story. Even if it’s against the same player every time — doesn’t matter if I play her at the same time next year in Miami or in Madrid next year — it’s going to be a different story than the last one.”
Their previous encounter – the first ever between them – was a stunning 6-2, 7-5 win for Eala. As a relatively unknown left-hander, Eala clearly benefited from the element of surprise. She broke Swiatek`s serve three times in the opening set and maintained pressure throughout the match. Swiatek, who noted Eala`s aggressive approach and flat hitting, made an uncharacteristic 32 unforced errors.
However, facing the four-time Roland Garros champion on clay presents a different challenge. Swiatek has extensive experience in Madrid, winning 13 of her 15 matches here, while Eala has played just one main draw match on the Madrid clay prior to this tournament.
“I guess we’ll see,” Swiatek remarked in a Tuesday press conference. “I feel like I know this place pretty well so I’m going to for sure use the experience — but the experience doesn’t play, though.”
When asked about the qualities she most admired in her opponents, Eala highlighted Aryna Sabalenka`s serve and two key strengths of Swiatek`s game.
“I love her intensity and her footwork,” Eala said. “I think that’s something I could really improve on, observe and try to emulate in my game.”
Despite her sudden rise in Miami, Eala has worked diligently to remain grounded. She mentioned receiving encouraging contact from 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.
“I feel like she’s been in a similar position,” Eala explained. “Where she did really well and she knows the struggles, of course.”
Andreescu, who was also 19 when she claimed her first major title, has not advanced past the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam since then.
Life has understandably changed significantly for the graduate of the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain. A year ago, a loss in a WTA 125 event might not have drawn much attention, but last week, when Eala was defeated in her second match in Oeiras, Portugal by Panna Udvardy, some began to question if Miami was a fluke.
“A lot of external factors have changed — more eyes on me, there’s more exposure,” said Eala, whose ranking has climbed to No. 72. “But in the day-to-day, how I feel internally, nothing has changed much. Because the work ethic has always been there, my team has been so down to earth, keeping me grounded.”
Miami, she acknowledged, will always be an inspiration, but despite the constant questions and comments, she is trying to put that experience behind her for now.
“In my mind, I have my whole life to look back at those moments and I’ll always have those memories,” Eala stated. “But the tour goes on, competition goes on, so right now I’m fully focused on Madrid.”
And Swiatek will undoubtedly be fully focused on Eala. She will strategize with coach Wim Fissette and step onto Manolo Santana Stadium, fully aware that she is considered the best player on clay globally. Will this give her a decisive edge in the rematch?
“I haven’t started the tournament yet, so you best need to let me go on court and feel what I feel, you know?” Swiatek responded. “I’m probably going to be able to answer that question afterwards.
“I’m not going to predict anything, like I`m not a wizard. So I’ve got to approach this match like any other match — it doesn’t really matter what happened in Miami.”
