Alex Eala rematches Swiatek, Philippine tennis reaches new milestone

(NLDO) - Alex Eala became the first Philippine tennis player to win the women's singles event at the Madrid Open.

World No. 72 Alex Eala has had a smooth start at the Madrid Open 2025. The 19-year-old girl just defeated Bulgarian opponent Viktoriya Tomova with a score of 6-3, 6-2 in the first round, which took place on April 22 in Spain.

Tomova is currently ranked eight places above Eala in the WTA rankings, but the 19-year-old Filipino is still showing impressive form.

Eala broke Tomova's serve six times throughout the match and the Bulgarian committed 26 unforced errors.

After 77 minutes of confrontation, the Filipino player closed the match with a forehand to advance to the second round.

Eala makes smooth start to Madrid Open campaign

The win made Eala the first Filipino player to win the women's singles event at the Madrid Open.

In the second round, she will have a remarkable rematch with world number 2, Iga Swiatek.

Last month, Eala shocked Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 in the Miami Open quarterfinals on hard courts, taking a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head. However, the potential rematch in Madrid will be on clay, the forte of Swiatek, a four-time Roland Garros champion (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024).

The upcoming match will be a chance for the Polish tennis player to get revenge, while Eala continues his journey to write his magical story. However, Eala also admitted that playing on clay is not his forte.

The Madrid Open is Eala's second clay court tournament this season, following her appearance at the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal.

Eala to rematch Swiatek in round 2

In the men's event, the brackets have been determined. Alexander Zverev will have to overcome the obstacle of Arthur Fils if he wants to advance to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz's bracket with the participation of Holger Rune, Casper Ruud or Daniil Medvedev also has many potential surprises.

As for Djokovic, if he plays at his best, he is almost certain to advance as his opponents in the early rounds are not rated too highly. Carlos Alcaraz also does not face many difficult opponents before the quarter-finals.

The main round of the Madrid men's singles will take place from tomorrow, April 23.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/alex-eala-co-the-tai-dau-iga-swiatek-o-madrid-open-19625042215461972.htm