Filipina star Alexandra Eala enjoyed a strong start to her Madrid Open campaign on Wednesday, moving past Russian qualifier Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-3 to reach the second round at the event for the third straight year.
The 44th-ranked lefty needed one hour and 31 minutes to dismiss Pavlyuchenkova, who was a semifinalist in the Spanish capital in 2021.
The 34-year-old Pavlyuchenkova, a former French Open runner-up currently ranked 116 in the world, is 0-6 in tour-level main draw matches so far this season.
Eala saved all four break points she faced and broke Pavlyuchenkova twice in a tightly-contested 54-minute opening set.
Alex Eala reaches the second round for the third straight year in Madrid!#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/U4QtMuQnWM
— wta (@WTA) April 22, 2026
The 20-year-old phenom briefly lost her advantage in the second set but swept eight points in a row to regain her lead and book a clash with 19th seed Elise Mertens.
“I feel really great. I love Madrid, it’s an amazing tournament,” said Eala, who has been training at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca for almost eight years.
“Every time I come here, I feel very comfortable, I feel like I’m at home.”
Pavlyuchenkova, who was playing with a heavily-strapped right upper thigh, committed close to 40 unforced errors in what was her first meeting with Eala.
“Every match at this level is a battle, all of us players we fight until the end and she’s been on the tour for many years. So I’m really happy with this win. She’s a great player and I’m really happy to be in the next round,” Eala added.