Less than a month after her stunning run at the Miami Open, Alex Eala is set to return to WTA 1000 action at the Madrid Open.
The 19-year-old competed at the WTA 125 tournament in Oeiras last week but action in Madrid will represent her first WTA-level event since her breakout run to the semi-final in Miami.
Eala beat Grand Slam winners Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys on her way to the last eight, where she stunned five-time major champion and world No 2 Iga Swiatek to reach the semi-final.
Victory over Swiatek ensured that the Filipina would crack the top 100 of the WTA Rankings for the very first time, and she is currently at a career-high of world No 72.
And, she could well face off against the Pole in Madrid, with Swiatek waiting in the second round if she can start her campaign with a victory over Viktoriya Tomova.
Eala was not ranked high enough to reach the Madrid main draw directly when the entry cutoff was made, though the teen star benefited from a wildcard.
Here, we look at her special connection to the tournament and why it has been such a significant event.
Madrid Open connection
Eala’s connection to the Madrid Open is through IMG, her management group.
IMG not only manages players such as Eala but also owns a handful of key tournaments, one of them being the Madrid Open – a combined WTA and ATP 1000 event.
That means that several IMG-managed players often receive wildcards into both the men’s and women’s singles draw, just as they do at the Miami Open – also run by the group.
Eala, ranked 140th at the time, was a wildcard into the Miami Open main draw this year, just as she was in 2022 and 2023.
Among the other IMG players to receive a wildcard into Madrid this year are men’s singles star Coleman Wong, a longtime friend of Eala’s.
Madrid history
This will be Eala’s third straight year competing in Madrid, having received wildcards in both 2023 and 2024.
The Filipina was heavily beaten on her tournament debut back in 2023, falling 6-1, 6-1 to former Wimbledon semi-finalist Tatjana Maria.
However, Eala bounced back to claim her first-ever WTA 1000 match win in the Spanish capital a year ago, rallying to defeat Lesia Tsurenko 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in round one.
She was ultimately beaten by 27th seed Sorana Cirstea in the second round, though she showed plenty of promise in a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-4 defeat.
Who is her Round 1 opponent?
Eala faces an intriguing opening test against Bulgarian star Tomova, an encounter that both women will probably feel is winnable.
World No 64 Tomova is just eight places above Eala in the WTA Rankings but the 30-year-old is vastly more experienced, with this set to be her 18th appearance in the main draw of a WTA 1000 event.
The Bulgarian has a career-high ranking of world No 46 set in July last year, and, while she has never reached a WTA final, she did win the Chicago Challenger back in 2023.
This is set to be the first meeting between the two, with Swiatek awaiting the winner.
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