"Iga Swiatek is in a huge mental crisis" - Fans react to Pole's 'depressing' loss to Alexandra Eala in Miami Open QF

Iga Swiatek suffered her worst defeat in four years at the 2025 Miami Open on Wednesday (March 26), casting doubts on her mentality and future prospects. The Pole exited the WTA 1000 tournament in the quarterfinals in straight sets to Filipino wildcard Alexandra Eala, ranked 140th.

Swiatek had played convincing tennis in her last three matches en route to the last eight in Miami, not dropping a single set against formidable opponents like Elina Svitolina, Caroline Garcia, and Elise Mertens. However, on Wednesday, she looked heavily out of sorts against the 19-year-old during their quarterfinal match.

Iga Swiatek was broken on her serve eight times during the contest, eventually surrendering 2-6, 5-7 in one hour and 41 minutes. The tennis community on Reddit subsequently expressed concern with the World No. 2's form, with one fan claiming that her psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, and her coach, Wim Fisette, were also accountable for the harrowing defeat.

"As an Iga fan, I'm not afraid to say it openly - Iga is in a huge mental crisis. And this crisis is growing. Today's match proved how much she has lost of confidence and faith in her play. Daria must go. We know why. Unfortunately, so does Wim - it's only gotten worse since he became Iga's coach," they wrote on Reddit.

Comment byu/jaippe from discussion intennis

A few others were also alarmed by the Pole's listless showing in the Miami Open quarterfinals.

"Tragic and depressing from Iga," one fan insisted.

Comment byu/jaippe from discussion intennis

"Iga looked totally off. She seemed to want to rival Coco for unforced errors," another fan joked.

Comment byu/jaippe from discussion intennis

"That's probably the worst loss of Swiatek's career," another claimed.

Here are a few more reactions from Reddit:

"At this point I would not be surprised if Iga fails the clay season as well," one fan asserted.

"Igatards were sooo cocky which makes this even more delicious," another wrote.

"Upset of the year, at least on WTA," one fan claimed.

Alexandra Eala, meanwhile, hadn't gone past the second round of a WTA 1000 tournament before this week in Miami. The Filipina teen defeated Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys, and Jelena Ostapenko at the Florida event to reach the semifinals.

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Iga Swiatek suffers worst defeat in terms of opponent's ranking since Miami Open 2021

Iga Swiatek tracks down a ball during Miami Open QF loss | Image Source: Getty

Iga Swiatek's loss to the World No. 140 marks her worst loss in a tour-level match since her third-round exit to Ana Konjuh at the 2021 Miami Open. Ranked 16th at the time, the Pole lost in three sets to the then-World No. 338 Konjuh.

Swiatek has only lost to a player ranked outside the women's top 100 twice since winning her first Major title at the 2020 French Open. Some of the 22-year-old's worst defeats by her opponents' ranking include losing to Elina Svitolina (#76) at 2023 Wimbledon, Linda Noskova (#50) at the 2024 Australian Open, and Alize Cornet (#37) at 2022 Wimbledon.