Iga Swiatek Survives Scare at Mutua Madrid Open

Madrid, Spain – Defending champion Iga Swiatek overcame a challenging match against 19-year-old Alexandra Eala at the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday. Swiatek, the World No. 2, came back from a set and a break down to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, advancing to the third round.

Despite her struggles, Swiatek showed resilience in a match that lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes. Eala, who had recently defeated Swiatek in the Miami Open, took an early lead, breaking Swiatek in the first game and maintaining her advantage throughout the first set.

After a rough start, which included 25 unforced errors in the opener, Swiatek found her rhythm. “It wasn’t easy to get into the rhythm and the right timing, so I’m happy that I was just patient,” Swiatek said after the match.

In the second set, Eala again broke Swiatek early, but Swiatek responded quickly to regain control. “For sure, I wanted to keep my margins and play a little bit more safely,” she added. Swiatek won five consecutive games to secure the second set.

While Swiatek’s performance included a total of 57 unforced errors, she cleaned up her game in the decisive set, winning 85% of her first-serve points.

Looking ahead, she will face No. 31 seed Linda Noskova in the third round, continuing her quest for a third consecutive title in Madrid. In her path, Swiatek is relieved to have avoided Jelena Ostapenko, who lost in an earlier match.

In other results, Coco Gauff battled past Dayana Yastremska despite losing the first set 0-6, eventually winning 6-2, 7-5. Meanwhile, Madison Keys earned a straight-sets victory over Lucia Bronzetti to advance as well.