ALEX EALA is cherishing her precious time to slug it out against the world’s giants, including world No. 2 and reigning champion Iga Świątek of Poland once again in the Madrid Open as part of her preparations for the French Open next month.
Ms. Eala, in her second straight WTA 1000-level tourney in Spain after a stellar Miami Open run, found herself in a collision course against the Polish superstar anew, making it another stage to earn her stripes in a learning curve or add another feather in her cap in another upset.
The 19-year-old Filipina sensation pulled the rug from under the fancied Ms. Świątek, 6-2, 7-5, in the Miami Open run quarterfinals last month as part of her giant-slaying spree en route to a historic Final Four stint.
In Madrid, she took care of business against Bulgaria’s Victoriya Tomova, 6-3, 6-2, for another shot at Ms. Świątek in an early Round of 2 clash still being played at press time.
And she’s not in the illusion of an easy repeat of her stunning conquest last time out against whom she considers an idol.
“Even if it’s against the same player, every time, it doesn’t matter if I play her in the same time in Miami next year or in Madrid next year, it’s going to be a different story than the last one,” warned Ms. Eala.
Ms. Świątek, like in Miami, is the No. 2 seed in Madrid, a clay tourney she owns given her four Roland Garros crowns. She gained a first-round bye as the top-ranked player and defending titlist en route to the Round of 64.
“I think Iga (Świątek) is an all-court player. I think she plays well on hard, she plays well on clay, she plays well on grass. But I definitely think that each match is a different story,” added Ms. Eala, now the No. 72 player in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings.
Ms. Eala started at No. 140 prior to the Miami Open before stringing wins against three Top-25 players, three former Grand Slam winners to become the first ever WTA semifinalist.
Win or lose against Ms. Świątek though, Ms. Eala is poised to meet her anew in the French Open, where she is eligible for direct invite being inside the Top 100 rankings now.
And who’s to say the lefty wunderkind could not pull off another miracle? — John Bryan Ulanday