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Iga Swiatek survived a major scare in her opening match of the 2025 Madrid Open. The No. 2 seed, having received a first-round bye, started her campaign at the WTA 1000 event in the second round with a clash against Alexandra Eala. The Pole lost the first set but eventually recovered to win the match. However, several tennis fans later criticized Swiatek over her performance, despite her comeback victory.
Swiatek and Eala's second-round encounter in the Spanish capital was an eagerly-awaited one. This stemmed from the Filipino's shocking straight-set win over the Pole in the quarterfinals of this year's Miami Open. Things were once again going Eala's way in Madrid, with the 19-year-old clinching the first set 6-4 and then breaking Swiatek early on in the second set.
Iga Swiatek though, managed to turn the tables in the nick of time, ultimately registering a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Alexandra Eala to reach the third round of the 2025 Madrid Open.
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Despite the defending Madrid Open champion's victory against the Filipino teenager, several fans on X (formerly Twitter) questioned Swiatek's level of performance in the match.
"So embarrassing," a fan wrote.
"Iga is so washed that I’m starting to wonder if she was doping tbh ☠️," commented another.
"CRISIS AVERTED FOR IGA SHE WAS ABOUT TO HAVE TO CALL THE NUMBER…," another fan chimed in.
"Swiatek will not defend her title. Feel free to bookmark it," wrote one fan.
"Iga lost her aura," another added.
"Above all, she won against herself," weighed in yet another fan.
Throughout the first set, Swiatek particularly struggled with her return. However, a subtle change in her racket setup proved decisive in the end. After the conclusion of the contest, she briefly disclosed how she got her return woes under control from the second set onwards.
"The balls were flying" - Iga Swiatek on initial return struggles during hard-fought Madrid Open 2R win over Alexandra Eala
Iga Swiatek uncharacteristically made a staggering 57 unforced errors throughout her second-round encounter against Alexandra Eala in the second round of the 2025 Madrid Open. The majority of the errors came in the first set, and the Pole changed her racket's string tension to prevent more errors further on in the match.
Following her victory against Eala, Swiatek said:
"The balls were flying a little bit out of control from my racquet. I got the (string) tension a little bit higher in the second set and then it was better."
Swiatek's next challenge in Madrid is to get past No. 31 seed Linda Noskova in the third round. The Pole leads the Czech 4-1 in the pair's WTA Tour-level head-to-head.
