Swiatek Digs Deep To Escape Another Eala Shock

Iga Swiatek avoided different daze conclusion against Filipina teen Alexandra Eala by fighting backmost to triumph their Madrid Open second-round match.

World number 2 Swiatek, who was stunned by Eala successful Miami past month, won 4-6 6-4 6-2 connected nan Spanish clay.

Swiatek mislaid successful nan Stuttgart quarter-finals past week and, having received a bye successful nan Madrid first round, produced immoderate edgy groundstrokes successful a mediocre first set.

A tally of 25 unforced errors indicated it was a capacity obscurity adjacent befitting of nan WTA Tour's ascendant clay-court subordinate of caller seasons.

Mistakes continued to travel arsenic nan 23-year-old from Poland fell a break down early successful nan 2nd set.

Swiatek, who is nan reigning Madrid champion and has a big of ranking points to take sides complete nan European clay swing, looked successful superior trouble.

It felt for illustration nan aforesaid communicative arsenic erstwhile 19-year-old Eala, past classed extracurricular nan world's apical 100, hit her connected nan Miami difficult courts.

But five-time awesome champion Swiatek refocused and realigned to break back, past took power arsenic her improved powerfulness and precision from nan baseline overwhelmed Eala.

Winning 5 games successful a statement from 4-4 successful nan 2nd group swung nan lucifer successful her favour and, aft missing her opportunity to service out, collapsed Eala's service for a hard-fought victory.

A telling statistic was Swiatek hitting 57 unforced errors arsenic Eala won only 80 points successful nan match.

Swiatek, who is gearing up for a tilt astatine a 5th French Open title adjacent month, will play Czech 31st seed Linda Noskova successful nan past 16.

Meanwhile, British men's number 3 Cameron Norrie earned his first ATP main-draw triumph since nan commencement of March.

Norrie, 29, has plummeted to 91st successful nan world, but secured a confidence-boosting 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 6-4 triumph against Spanish teen Martin Landaluce.