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Iga Swiatek revealed that she was focused on herself and not on Alexandra Eala's 'hype' after avoiding a second upset against the Philippines' star. Eala defeated Swiatek at the Miami Open and led against the Pole in Madrid, but Swiatek came back to defeat World No. 72.
On Thursday, April 24, Swiatek faced Eala in a rematch of their shocking Miami Open clash. Eala defeated the Pole just a month ago, 6-2, 7-5, to reach her first WTA 1000 semifinal. Her rankings skyrocketed due to her impressive performances, and she met the World No. 2 again in Madrid.
Shockingly, Eala was dominant again and bagged the first set, but Swiatek composed herself and found her way through to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win. During her post-match press conference, Swiatek was asked about the hype around Eala due to her previous upset.
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"I understand that there is hype about the young players, but you gotta be focused on yourself, and honestly, I did not realize... I kind of had other things to think about," Iga Swiatek said.
Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Filipino pointed out the difference between the Miami and Madrid clashes in her post-match interview.
"What was different [between Madrid and Miami] was that, in my opinion, was that she executed better in the important moments, and she had a little higher level than me in specific moments of the match," she said (via WTA Tour).
Iga Swiatek believes she had the advantage against Alexandra Eala because Madrid Open is played on clay
During the same press conference, Iga Swiatek also opened up about how Madrid's clay helped her beat Alexandra Eala.
"Yesterday [the media] asked me how different the game is going to be, and for sure, like, on clay I feel like I have a little bit more advantage sometimes in the situations, where Alexandra could, you know, take more advantage on faster hard courts," she said (via TENNIS).
Iga Swiatek now holds a 12-1 record at the Madrid Open since 2023, underscoring her dominance on clay in recent seasons. However, she has already encountered a setback this year with a semifinal loss to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart.
The World No. 2 is set to defend her titles at the WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, as well as at the French Open. Next up, she faces 31st seed Linda Noskova in the third round.
