Swiatek gets back at Eala in Madrid Open

MANILA, Philippines -- Almost a month ago, Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala bagged the biggest scalp thus far in women’s tennis – World No. 2 Iga Swiatek – in the Miami Open.

But this time around, the Mutua Madrid Open defending champion got the last laugh over her 19-year-old opponent.

Swiatek fought off a sluggish start and flexed her muscles to grab the come-from-behind 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory late Thursday evening (Manila time) at the Manolo Santana Stadium in Spain.

The World No. 2 tennister showcased her experience and dominated Eala in the second and third sets to vanquish the ghost of her loss against the Filipina.

After dropping the first set, when she trailed 1-5 before her comeback attempt came up a bit short, Swiatek regained her form in the second set.

The Polish tennister punched in five aces in the second set alone, which completed her comeback from being down 3-2.

And in the third set, Eala could not go back to her usual rhythm, going down 0-3.

The Filipina got on the board, but Swiatek was just too good to conquer.

Down 1-5 in the third set, Eala would keep herself above water with a crucial win in the seventh game.

And with the Filipina serving in the eighth game, Swiatek was able to break Eala’s serve as the latter had a massive error to end the match. 

Swiatek committed 57 unforced errors compared to Eala's 47, but had 40 winners compared to the latter's 16. 

She also recorded six aces in the game to Eala's three. 

Swiatek will thus be taking on Linda Noskova next in the round of 32. The 20-year-old Noskova, ranked 31st in the world, defeated Maria Lourdes Carle, 7-5, 6-1, also on Thursday.