Miami Open: Swiatek Triumphs Over Svitolina; Eala Advances After Badosa's Withdrawal
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Synopsis
Iga Swiatek wins against Elina Svitolina at the Miami Open, advancing to the quarterfinals. Alexandra Eala moves forward due to Paula Badosa's withdrawal.
Key Takeaways
- Iga Swiatek defeats Elina Svitolina in Round of 16.
- Swiatek aims for her second Miami Open title.
- Alexandra Eala advances after Paula Badosa withdraws.
- Eala's victories mark her breakthrough at the WTA Tour.
- The Sunshine Double is a rare achievement in women's tennis.
Miami, March 25 (NationPress) The current World No. 2, Iga Swiatek from Poland, edged closer to her first title of the season with a challenging 7-6(5), 6-3 win against No. 22 seed Elina Svitolina from Ukraine during the Round of 16 at the Miami Open.
It took Swiatek 2 hours and 5 minutes to overcome the former World No. 3 Svitolina, finalizing the quarterfinal lineup at this year's fourth WTA 1000 event on Tuesday morning, according to WTA reports.
Swiatek is aiming for her second title at the Miami Open -- she previously won this tournament in 2022, completing the Sunshine Double (winning both Indian Wells and Miami in the same year). The only other female players to achieve the Sunshine Double are Stefanie Graf (twice), Kim Clijsters, and Victoria Azarenka.
In the quarterfinals, Swiatek will face an unexpected challenger: 19-year-old wild card Alexandra Eala from the Philippines, who is participating in her sixth WTA 1000 event.
Eala reached the first WTA Tour quarterfinal of her career when her fourth-round opponent, No. 10 seed Paula Badosa, withdrew ahead of their match due to a lower back injury.
Ranked World No. 140, Eala achieved a significant victory over No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko in the second round and an even more remarkable win against No. 5 Madison Keys in the third round.
With these victories, Eala became the first Filipina woman in the Open Era to defeat Grand Slam singles champions at any WTA Tour event -- and now she is set to compete against another, the five-time major champion Swiatek.
The 19-year-old Eala, who won the junior US Open in 2022, had never previously secured three consecutive matches at any tour-level event before this tournament -- although the walkover from Badosa will not be included in her overall win-loss record.
