Iga Swiatek leveled her head-to-head with Filipina rising tennis star Alex Eala to 1-1 after prevailing in their Madrid Open second-round duel.
Iga Swiatek did not look like her usual self early in her first match in the Madrid Open.
But Swiatek dug deep to hack out a hard-fought 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 come-from-behind victory over Alex Eala in their second-round encounter Thursday, April 24.
Hounded by 25 unforced errors in the opener, the reigning titlist saw herself down a set against the same person who dealt her a stunning sweep in the Miami Open quarterfinals nearly a month ago.
But the Polish star eventually reintroduced herself late, winning five straight games bridging the second and third sets.
Swiatek, who has seemingly found her groove in the decider, then nearly handed Eala her usual breadstick at 5-1 before wobbling in her last service game to waste two match points.
But she got the job done by breaking Eala back to secure a third-round match with Czech Linda Noskova, with whom she has a 4-1 head-to-head advantage.
“I’m happy that I was just patient,” said Swiatek during the post-game interview on court.
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Swiatek stumbled to 57 unforced errors overall to 46 winners, against Eala's 48 to 22.
The Pole also surrendered her service games five times, while also converting seven of her 16 break point chances.
Though Swiatek showed Eala the door, there was nothing the Filipina pride should be ashamed of.
Off the bat, the 19-year-old sensation seemed more like a battle-tested player than a gung-ho teen trying to make it big.
Calm and disciplined, Eala zoomed to a 2-0 start before claiming the opening set, 6-4.
She made things tough for the reigning queen, and at some points in the match, looked bound to replicate the Miami miracle.
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But one thing about the world’s greats: more often than not, they find a way.
That was exactly what Swiatek did.
After a horrendous start, she slowly regained her bearings en route to the pulsating victory at the Manolo Santana Stadium.
There was simply no way Swiatek will lose on the red dirt, where she lifted four Grand Slam trophies at Roland Garros, including a three-peat.
The clay-court queen now holds a 14-2 career record in Madrid for the highest winning percentage of 87.5 in the event, surpassing Serena Williams' 87, according to the WTA.
Swiatek, whose idol is 14-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal, also boasts a staggering 91-12 mark overall on clay.
“I always love playing here. For sure, I’m just proud of my performances in the last two years. It’s great to come back and have this experience,” Swiatek said.