Eala ‘super excited’ to battle Swiatek

Alex Eala vows to be at her best when she faces world No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland in the Mutua Madrid Open that starts on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old Eala, who is enjoying her highest ranking at No. 72, said she is “super excited” to collide with Swiatek, especially after beating her in a dramatic and tense quarterfinal showdown in the Miami Open last month.

The Filipino tennis sensation is facing world No. 64 Victoriya Tomova of Bulgaria in the opening round of the prestigious event that is rated as WTA 1000 — or just one rung below Grand Slam events.

Should Eala go all the way and beat Swiatek and other highly-rated netters to clinch the Madrid title, she will gain a massive boost in her ranking, giving her a good chance of barging into the Top 50.

“Super excited, you know. It’s Madrid, I always love going back there and Rome (Italian Open) will be my first time. So much to look forward to,” Eala said.

“I think my goal for this play season, especially after Miami, is just to do better than last year and improve my game on clay. It’s quite a short period of time compared to hard courts. Just to feel myself do better and feel myself keeping the level.”

While another match with Swiatek in the Round of 64 looms in the horizon, Eala is not looking past the 30-year-old Tomova.

For one, Tomova has been a regular competitor in the four annual Grand Slams: The Australian Open, the French Open, the Wimbledon Championships, and the US Open since 2018.

Tomova also competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she made it to the second round before losing to world No. 11 Emma Navarro of the United States, 7-6, 4-6, 1-6.

Eala said she is also learning to adjust to playing on clay courts, as this will be the second time she will play on this surface this year.

“I think the weather affects clay courts more in terms of changes of conditions than other surfaces,” Eala said.

“I can’t say that it was a disadvantage or whatever, it’s just how the court was.”