Repeat or revenge? Alex Eala ready for rematch against Iga Swiatek

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UPSET. Alex Eala shakes hands with Iga Swiatek at the net after their match in the 2025 Miami Open.

Alex Eala may have already pulled off a stunner over world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, but the Filipina teen still heads into their rematch as the considerable underdog

MANILA, Philippines –The first time they faced off last March, no one gave Alex Eala an iota of a chance to defeat Iga Swiatek of Poland in the WTA 1000 Miami Open.

Eala was coming off impressive wins over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the second round and 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the third round, but she still was tabbed a huge 1 to 11 underdog against Swiatek, and for good reason. The 19-year-old Filipina was 140th in the world at the start of the Miami Open, while Swiatek was world No. 2.

Against all odds, Eala pulled off the unthinkable by defeating Swiatek in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5 — a victory considered one of the biggest upsets in tennis in recent years.

On Thursday, April 24, the two will lock horns one more time in the second round of the WTA 1000 Mutua Madrid Open. Swiatek remains at No. 2, while Eala has jumped to 72 in the world.

The Filipina teen standout is fresh off a comprehensive beatdown of world No. 64 Viktoriya Tomova, 6-3, 6-2, in the opening round at the Manolo Santana Stadium in the Manzanares Park Tennis Center in Madrid on Tuesday, April 22. Swiatek, as the No. 2 seed, earned a first-round bye.

Both Eala and Swiatek started their clay court season just last week. Seeded second in the WTA 125 Oeiras in Portugal, Eala won her opening-round match but was booted out in the second round. She also suffered a first-round exit in doubles.

Swiatek saw action in a higher level tournament, the WTA 500 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. She opened with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Jana Fett of Croatia, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by her old nemesis Ostapenko, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6. The Latvian veteran went on to bag the title after defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the finals.

Despite already notching a win over Swiatek, Eala will still be coming into their rematch as the considerable underdog.

Swiatek, the world No. 1 at the end of 2022 and 2023, has been dubbed the “Queen of Clay” because of how dominant she has been on the surface. She has shown an affinity for the clay court of the Madrid Open where she emerged champion in 2024 and made the finals in 2023.

The Polish star has also claimed ownership of the only Grand Slam event played on clay, the French Open. She has come out of the famed courts of Roland Garros as the women’s singles champion in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Swiatek is third all time among women’s players with the highest winning percentage on clay in the history of the WTA, just behind tennis legends Chris Evert and Steffi Graf. Heading into the Madrid Open, Swiatek is 138-19 on clay or a winning percentage of close to 88%.

Oddsmakers will most likely tab Swiatek the favorite in a matchup against any of the other top five players in the world. She is 8-4 against Sabalenka in their head-to-head, 6-4 versus world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, 11-3 against fourth-ranked 4 Coco Gauff, and 4-2 when up against No. 5 Keys.

Ostapenko has proven, however, that Swiatek is not invincible. The Latvian has beaten Swiatek six times and has not lost to the former world No. 1. Add that to Eala’s previous victory over Swiatek and that should give the Filipina hope that she could pull off another upset.

In the Miami Open, Eala took a page out of the Ostapenko playbook when she attacked Swiatek’s serves early and on the rise, then putting the Pole on her back feet by forcing her to constantly move all over the court.

In her first-round win over Tomova, the 5-foot-9 Filipina displayed great variety in her shotmaking, infusing timely drop shots and approaching the net after crosscourt drives.

Both Swiatek and Eala employ backhands down the line that go deep and get the opponent off balance, so it would be interesting to see who is able to impose this weapon in her arsenal more.

Swiatek is raring to get back on the winning track this season, while Eala will be eager to prove that her Miami win is not a one-off.

Expect fireworks and a fiercely fought second-round match between the established star from Poland and a youngster who is looking to go far in this $8.9-million event to cement her place among the emerging stars of the sport. – Rappler.com

The Eala-Swiatek duel will be shown on Premier Sports 2 on Thursday, April 24, starting at 9 pm, Manila time. PS 2 is available through Blast TV and STVP.

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