Tennis – Madrid Open – Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain – April 24, 2025 Philippines’ Alexandra Eala in action during her round of 64 match against Poland’s Iga Swiatek REUTERS/Juan Medina

Filipino tennis star Alex Eala, this time, fell short to four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, at the Madrid Open 2025 second round.

Eala stunned Swiatek in straight sets in what was the biggest win of her young career as part of her Miami Open dream run last month, but was unable to repeat against the World No. 2 despite a strong start.

READ: Alex Eala eyes improvement on clay ahead of French Open

Eala now ranked World No. 72, looked poised to do it again and led by a set before Swiatek, the defending champion in Madrid, cleaned up her act to avoid an early exit in the WTA 1000 event.

Tennis – Madrid Open – Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain – April 24, 2025 Poland’s Iga Swiatek reacts during her round of 64 match against Philippines’ Alexandra Eala. REUTERS/Juan Medina

Eala took a 3-2 in the second set, but Swiatek found a way to force a decider–her first since the third round of the Qatar Total Open in February, according to Tennis.com

Just like in Miami, Eala also entered the tournament in Madrid as a wild card.

READ: Alex Eala officially earns spot in 2025 French Open main draw

Eala remains the first Filipino to have ever won a match in the Madrid Open, achieving it for the first time in 2024.

She once again got off to a winning start this year, ousting World No. 64, Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria, 6-3, 6-2, in her opening match on Tuesday.

Before the match, the 19-year-old Rafa Academy product spoke about facing Swiatek again.

“Iga is spectacular. She pushes you to the limit. I love her intensity and her footwork, it’s something I want to look at more to see how I can learn,” Eala told the Mutua Madrid Open website.

The Madrid Open is Eala’s second tournament on clay as she gears up for the French Open, where she is seeing action in the main draw for the first time.