"So disrespectful to Iga Swiatek" - Fans furious over Alexandra Eala being 'overhyped' ahead of Madrid Open showdown
Iga Swiatek and Alexandra Eala have set up a highly anticipated clash in the second round of the 2025 Madrid Open. However, the perceived heavy promotion of Eala ahead of the encounter has not gone down well with tennis fans.
Eala made a name for herself with her fairytale run to the semifinals of this year's Miami Open. The 19-year-old garnered the most attention when she stunned Iga Swiatek by pulling off a 6-2, 7-5 upset in their quarterfinal encounter. After kicking off her clay season with a second-round loss to Panna Udvardy at the WTA 125 Oeiras Ladies Open, she has entered the Madrid Open.
Alexandra Eala commenced her campaign at the WTA 1000 event by claiming a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Viktoriya Tomova. Following her win, the Filipina set up an exciting rematch with defending champion Iga Swiatek, who received a bye in the first round.
Amid Eala's campaign, the Tennis Channel promoted streaming the 19-year-old's matches all the way to the final, even though she has to face Swiatek on the Pole's favorite surface in the second round.
Fans did not take kindly to the Tennis Channel "overhyping" Alexandra Eala and argued that the promotion was "disrespectful" to Iga Swiatek.
"Im crying yo this is actually so disrespectful to Iga anfhfjsnfhdiskhfuðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜," one fan posted.
"Poor advertising she plays R2 and against Iga on Thursday," another fan chimed in.
"This is overhyping 😠for what?? A subscription? Stop 🥹," said another.
Others contended that Eala likely wouldn't survive past the earlier rounds, while one fan pointed out that Mirra Andreeva hadn't received the same treatment after her breakthrough.
"I don't think we're going to need very many of the dates in this graphic to watch Eala in Madrid. But whatever," one fan commented.
"Lmaooo crazy disrespect to Iga man 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣," another fan wrote.
"Look I'm hyped, but not this hyped. Even Mirra didn't get a full schedule like this after her breakthrough tournament ðŸ˜," said yet another.
Despite the hype for Alexandra Eala, Iga Swiatek will head into their clash with renewed determination, aiming to redeem herself after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
"Doesn't matter... It's going to be a different story" - Alexandra Eala on facing Iga Swiatek in Madrid Open 2R
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.