Tennis: Swiatek Advances to 3rd Round of Madrid Open

Madrid: Polish player Iga Swiatek, world No. 2 and defending champion, advanced to the third round of the Madrid Open (WTA 1000) after defeating the Philippines' Alexandra Eala in three sets on Thursday. According to Qatar News Agency, Swiatek, at 23 years old, entered the second round after receiving a bye along with the top seeds. She managed to come back from losing the first set to Eala, a 19-year-old ranked 72nd in the world, with a score of 4-6, by winning the next two sets 6-4 and 6-2, completing the match in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Swiatek avenged her previous loss to the young talent during the quarterfinals of the Miami Open (WTA 1000) on hard courts in March. The victory marks a significant achievement as she moves forward in the tournament. Additionally, young Russian player Mirra Andreeva, 17 years old and ranked seventh in the world, also advanced to the third round. She defeated Czech player Marie Bouzkova, ranked 58th, in straight sets with scores of 6-3, 6-4.