For Alex Eala's next WTA 1000 event, a familiar foe in Iga Swiatek looms on the horizon as the Filipina rising star continues her clay season at the Madrid Open.
After a bittersweet exit in Portugal, Alex Eala is back on the WTA Tour and looking for redemption as she begins her campaign in the 2025 Mutua Madrid Open — the first of two WTA 1000 tournaments on clay.
Drawn in the fourth quarter of the bracket, the 19-year-old Eala opens her Madrid stint against Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova in a Round of 128 battle between two closely ranked players.
For the Madrid Open, Tomova is unseeded and Eala is actually a wildcard. In terms of their world rankings, Eala is at her career-high of no. 72 while the 30-year-old Tomova is 64th.
This tournament continues Eala’s clay season, and she enters with something to prove after a disappointing Round of 16 exit at the Oeiras Ladies Open last week — a setback she’ll look to turn into fuel on Madrid’s red dirt.
While Tomova should prove to be a tough out, intrigue lies beyond this first round matchup.
Should the Filipina rising star overcome Tomova, she will set up a blockbuster Round of 64 rematch with none other than world no. 2 Iga Swiatek — the same player she stunned in straight sets during her fairytale run to the Miami Open semifinals last month.
With another potential clash against one of the sport’s biggest names looming, Eala knows she must first focus on the task at hand.
Her Madrid debut could be the start of another deep run — and perhaps, another seismic shake-up in the women’s game.
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[Editor's note: This article was generated by a member of the One Sports Digital team using AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]