Alex Eala close to Naomi Osaka record as she books Iga Swiatek rematch in Madrid
Alex Eala closed in on an impressive Naomi Osaka record as she breezed through her Madrid Open round one clash to book an enticing rematch versus Iga Swiatek.
Playing in her first WTA-level event since her stunning run to the semi-final of the Miami Open, 19-year-old Eala breezed past Viktoriya Tomova 6-3, 6-2 inside the Caja Magica.
The Filipina lost her serve three times but managed to break Tomova on six occasions, needing just an hour and 16 minutes to reach round two.
Victory for Eala represents the second straight year in which she has won her opening round in Madrid, having picked up her first WTA 1000-level victory at the event in 2024.
It was also a fifth win for Eala at WTA 1000 events in 2025, following her run in Miami.
Eala beat Katie Volynets, Jelena Ostapenko, and Madison Keys in Florida and then received a fourth-round walkover from Paula Badosa, before her stunning victory against Swiatek in the last eight.
Since the WTA 1000 format was introduced in 2009, Osaka is the only Asian teenager to have claimed more WTA 1000 match wins in an individual season, claiming six such wins in 2017.
Eala is already one win off equalling that record, and the 19-year-old could match that tally against Swiatek later this week, ahead of her 20th birthday in May.
The Filipina produced arguably the upset of 2025 so far with her 6-2, 7-5 triumph over the world No 2 in Miami, and will look to maintain her 100% record in their head-to-head when they meet in the Spanish capital.
Swiatek will enter the match as the favourite, with the five-time Grand Slam champion looking to make it back-to-back titles in Madrid.
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However, the 23-year-old has not won a title – or even reached a final – since the French Open last June, and started her clay season with a loss to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart last week.
The match between Swiatek and Eala is set to take place on Friday, giving the Filipina two days to prepare after her opening-round win.
A second victory over the former world No 1 could cement a significant rankings rise for Eala.
The 19-year-old is currently at a career-high ranking of world No 72 but is projected to rise to world No 68 in the WTA Live Rankings.
Though the results of other players in the Madrid Open draw could affect that, triumph over Swiatek would all but guarantee a top-70 debut once the rankings update post-event.
Breaking the top 70 would represent a stunning rise for Eala, who was ranked 140th in the world heading into the Miami Open a month ago.
Before Miami, she had reached a career-high of world No 134 and only broke the top 100 following her quarter-final victory against Swiatek.
