Speaking to the press after her first-round win, Alexandra Eala tempered expectations regarding her rematch with Iga Swiatek at the Madrid Open. The 19-year-old asserted that she couldn’t rely on her past win since the encounter would be an entirely “different story.”
“I definitely think that each match is a different story. Even if it’s against the same player every time — doesn’t matter if I play her at the same time next year in Miami or in Madrid next year, it’s going to be a different story than the last one,” Eala said.
Eala also disclosed that she wasn’t dwelling on her fairytale run at the Miami Open and was completely focused on delivering her best at the WTA 1000 event in Madrid.
“Now that the dust has settled, I try not to think about Miami so much. Personally, of course it comes to mind when everyone’s asking — but in my mind, I have my whole life to look back at those moments and I’ll always have those memories. But the tour goes on, competition goes on, so right now I’m fully focused on Madrid,” she added.
The winner between Iga Swiatek and Alexandra Eala will likely lock horns with Linda Noskova in the third round of the Madrid Open, followed by a potential fourth-round meeting with Jelena Ostapenko.