BBC Sport · Apr 24, 2025
Swiatek digs deep to escape another Eala shock
Image caption, Iga Swiatek, who is the defending champion in Madrid, has been the dominant WTA clay-court player in recent seasonsIga Swiatek avoided another shock defeat against Filipina teenager Alexandra Eala by fighting back to win their Madrid Open second-round match.
World number two Swiatek, who was stunned by Eala in Miami last month, won 4-6 6-4 6-2 on the Spanish clay.
Swiatek lost in the Stuttgart quarter-finals last week and, having received a bye in the Madrid first round, produced some edgy groundstrokes in a poor first set.
A tally of 25 unforced errors indicated it was a performance nowhere near befitting of the WTA Tour's dominant clay-court player of recent seasons.