ALEXANDRA Eala’s much-awaited rematch with world no. 2 Iga Swiatek is on.
The Filipina tennis sensation made sure of this hmwhen she hurdled the no. 64-ranked Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria, 6-3, 6-2, in what is seen as her best clay court performance on Tuesday at the Mutua Madrid Open.
Playing with aggressiveness, Eala took 76 minutes to get past Tomova, and in doing so, will meet Swiatek again, a month after she scored a stunning 6-2, 7-5 shocker over the Polish ace in the Miami Open.
The 19-year-old Eala had an unforgettable run in reaching the Miami Open semifinals, following wins over two other Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys.
The victories pushed Eala to the Top 100 for the first time and now, to a career-high of no. 68.
Eala knocked 27 winners to Tomova’s seven, hitting six of her nine break point chances, to win her second opener in Madrid after a year.
Eala grabbed the momentum in the sixth game of the first set after she held serve off two deuces, a forehand winner and the 30-year old Tomova’s net error for a 4-2 edge.
Tomova held on for the next two games, before Eala took the set, 6-3, when the Bulgarian’s return shot hit the net.
The turning point in the second set came in the fourth and fifth games, first when Eala hit a drop shot, and when Tomova’s volley went out of bounds, 3-1.
The Quezon City-born Eala then seized a 4-1 spread off Tomova’s backhand net miscue and a volley winner.
It was so far Eala’s best game on clay since she beat Sorana Cirstea, a world no. 27-ranked player last year, in three sets, 3-6, 7-6(7-6), 4-6, in the same tournament in April, 2024.
Swiatek, the defending champion, drew a bye in the first round. She is seeking to shrug off what has been as a shaky season so far.
The 23-year-old Swiatek dropped out of last week’s Stuttgart quarterfinals to eventual winner Jelena Ostapenko.
Swiatek has been emptyhanded in search for a title since last year. She has not reached a final since the 2024 French Open.
Eala will be full of confidence going into her encounter with Swiatek, who will seek payback for her Miami defeat.
