Alexandra Eala handed new Madrid Open opportunity after Amanda Anisimova withdrawal

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Alexandra Eala has booked her spot in the Madrid Open second round after a straight-sets win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

The 20-year-old was mostly untroubled, sealing a 6-3, 6-3 win over the Russian to move into the next round.

Pavlyuchenkova struggled with consistency throughout, her game littered with mistakes that made things easier for Eala.

Next up for Eala is a second-round clash against Elise Mertens, who is seeded 19th in the draw. With two seeded players already out of the tournament, there’s an opening for her to make some noise in this section of the draw.

Path clears for Alexandra Eala following notable withdrawals

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With her win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Alex Eala now finds herself with a real chance to make some noise in Madrid.

Before the tournament began, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Amanda Anisimova were both set to be in her section of the draw. But both players withdrew just before play started, giving the 20-year-old an unexpected opening.

Now, Elise Mertens stands as the highest remaining seed in that part of the draw. If Eala can get past Mertens, she’d then face either Karolina Pliskova or Maria Sakkari – who’s seeded 33rd – in the third round. Originally, she was expected to meet Alexandrova at that stage.

If she manages to go even deeper into the tournament, she could end up facing either Magdalena Frech or Cristina Bucsa instead of Anisimova.

Rafael Nadal’s advice to Alex Eala

In 2026, Eala attended the Laureus Sports Awards at the Cibeles Palace in Madrid.