Defending champion Iga Swiatek was forced to dig deep in Madrid as she came from behind to beat teenage sensation Alexandra Eala 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a tense second-round clash on Thursday.
The world number two looked out of sorts early on as Eala, who famously beat her in Miami last month, took the opening set with fearless shot-making and composed serving.
The 19-year-old Filipina broke Swiatek in the very first game and held off repeated break points to race into a 5-2 lead.
Although Swiatek broke back, Eala held her nerve to close out the set on her third opportunity.
Swiatek’s frustration continued early in the second set as Eala once again broke her in the opening game.
But this time, the four-time French Open champion responded immediately and slowly grew into the contest. With improved consistency and fewer unforced errors, the Pole edged the second set by breaking to love at 5-4.
From there, the momentum shifted. Swiatek raced through the decider, breaking twice and fending off a late push from Eala, who saved a match point before hitting long on the second.
Despite an off-colour performance, Swiatek’s resilience saw her through to a third-round meeting with Czech teenager Linda Noskova.
“I wasn’t finding my rhythm at the beginning, but I’m proud of how I stayed patient and turned it around,” Swiatek told TVE after the match.
Elsewhere, Coco Gauff staged a gritty comeback against Dayana Yastremska, recovering from a disastrous first set to win 0-6, 6-2, 7-5.
The fourth seed finally sealed victory on her fourth match point and will face Ann Li next.
Madison Keys advanced comfortably, beating Lucia Bronzetti 6-4, 6-3 to set up a clash with Anna Kalinskaya. In an all-Latvian battle, Anastasija Sevastova upset Jelena Ostapenko 7-6, 6-2.
