Madrid Open 2026: Alexandra Eala progresses to second round after beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Alexandra Eala began her Madrid Open 2026 campaign with a convincing win against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Eala was clinical in her first-round match-up with the Olympic mixed doubles gold medallist on Wednesday (22 April), coming through to win 6-3, 6-3 at Estadio Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.

World No. 116 Pavlyuchenkova, playing at her first WTA 1000 tennis tournament since Dubai in February, was hampered by fitness problems and took two medical timeouts in Madrid.

It meant that Eala could assume control of affairs amid her opponent’s high rate of unforced errors, taking the victory in one hour, 31 minutes. She will face 19th seed Elise Mertens, the No. 1 doubles player in the world, in the second round.

“I feel really great, I love Madrid and it’s an amazing tournament,” Eala said on-court in English, before switching to Spanish: “Every time that I come here, I feel so comfortable and at home. I’ve been in Spain for so many years, and every match at this level is a fight and a battle, but I’m really happy.”

Eala, 20, claimed 76 per cent of points on her serve and played some crucial defensive tennis in the early moments when Pavlyuchenkova was at her most dangerous. Once the physical problems arose for the qualifier, it became less of a contest.

After Pavlyuchenkova took an off-court medical timeout, Eala was quickest to restart and broke to love for 4-2. Pavlyuchenkova received further medical attention on court following the seventh game, clearly affecting her flow and feeling on the ball.

Eala, fresher and sharper after an even start, took the opening set on a break when her opponent double faulted. The Filipina increased the tempo in the second set and clinched a break with a return winner to go 3-1 up and control the rest of the match.

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