The first game played for the advantage, the second played for the advantage, the third game played for the advantage – this is how the second and 140 match of the world ranking began. And the result after these games surprised even more than their fierce. After 21 minutes, Alexander Eala won with Iga Świątek 2: 1. Many experts and fans expected that after 21 minutes of Christmas there would be close to closing the set. Artificial intelligence estimated the chances of winning a Polish woman at as much as 90 percent. and flipinka – only 10 percent But Eala already in the previous rounds of the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami showed that numbers do not play, that they do not play expert and supporter predictions.
Winning especially with Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys, i.e. with two Grand Slam champions, 20-year-old Eala reminded that in sport sometimes sometimes things are difficult to explain. But although she clearly believed that in the match against Świątek she was able to pierce those sensations, we looked and could not believe what we saw.
The heat turned off almost everything. Iga Świątek too?
Yes, we were a bit worried that in just three games of Świątek she made as many as 12 unforced errors (with eight ending strokes – Eala had a 2: 4 balance at the time). Yes, we agreed carefully with coach Iga Wim Fissett, who told his player that he had to work better on his feet. But knowing the class of the second tennis player of the world ranking, we have not worried that she is not doing it for now, that for now she is wrong, that she has problems with her game for now. It had to be only temporary – we thought so.
Meanwhile, after the next game played for the advantage of Eala, she took the lead 3: 1. We were surprised that Świątek did not win her service game until then (she won the rival at 1: 0). We didn't know what speeds the Polish woman served at. This is because probably during the heat in this phase of the match in the bands behind the players did not work speedometer, and no ads were displayed. Commenting on the air on Canal+ Paula Kania-Chodań and Bartosz Ignacik said that because of the heat and overheating their phones turned off. They said that there is 30 degrees Celsius in the shade and that this is the hottest day during the tournament. Ignacik noticed that such weather conditions probably correspond to the Philipina more likely. But it is clear that difficult conditions could not fully explain the problems of the Polish woman.
We did not recognize Christmas
Especially since honestly, what the commentators also pointed out to – Eala had some problems with moving. She apparently played with a left thigh injury. She was bandaged from the beginning of the match.
Strangely enough, the Christmas was worse. And she really served worse. When she broke the opponent and crawled to 2: 3, the game suddenly lost to zero on her pass. “Play simply,” said less calm Fissette. Unfortunately, Świątek was more and more nervous. Gem at 2: 5 lost to zero again.
Something was happening that theoretically could not happen. After all, Świątek just played a very good, hard match with Elina Switolina. After all, for years she had no problems with proving her superiority with all these little -known tennis players who dreamed of a sensational victory over her. For four years, Christmas has not lost a match with anyone outside the first hundred of the world ranking. In March 2021, in the third round in Miami, she succumbed to 338. Then Anie Konjuh. From that failure, she won 38 consecutive clashes with opponents from outside Top 100.
– Legs actively! – Maciej Ryszczuk, responsible for physical preparation, shouted, when at 5: 2 Eala left 0:30 to 30:30 in the next service game of Świątek. – Since Maciek is pierced from boxing, it already means a lot – Ignacik stated sadly.
– Many fans are probably shocked – the commentator added only two points later. Because then Eala finished the first batch of sensational victory 6: 2.
Świątek lost all its service games in the first set. As many as four. She made 19 unforced mistakes. With only five rivals. She was very nervous, she didn't listen to the advice of her team. “You have to force her to run, add more rotation and there must be a quick hand,” Fissette told her between sets, just before Świątek went down for a toilet break.
But after returning from the break, our favorite was still helpless. “Don't change anything,” Toni said to Eali, when she was leading 6: 2, 2: 0. The uncle of Rafael Nadal sat in the boxing of the Philippine, because Eala is a pupil of the tennis academy of the legendary Spaniard. It was in her in June 2023 that Filipinka received a diploma at the end of education and took a souvenir photo from Świątek. Because Iga was then invited as an idol and the inspiration of many of these teenagers. In this apparently Eali.
Świątek is an idol and an inspiration because she is fighting. Always
Świątek is an idol and is an inspiration for a reason. Let's be honest: she played terrible against Eali for a long time. But it didn't break. After an hour she began to reverse this match. When she lost 2: 6, 0: 2 probably many stopped believing in her. But Iga somehow managed to calm down and improve the element by the element step by step. First, she broke the rival's service, then finally won her service game – at 2: 6, 2: 2 – then broke Eala again and lasted the lead in the second set 4: 2.
It is a pity that we did not hear what her trainer spoke to Świątek during the homework, but we saw that he got hints from Daria Abramowicz. At 2: 6, 2: 2, the transmission implementer caught, as the psychologist leans towards the trainer and says something to him. To what extent did the consultations inside the IGI team and the hints from her boxing helped? We don't know. But finally we saw that Świątek can chase away Eala on the court and that although he is still wrong too often, it is less than in the first set. It was still not a stable, good tennis runner -up in the world ranking. But he was beginning to be enough for player number 140. It seemed so.
Not an alarm clock, but an alarm for Christmas. “Listen at least once”
– It seems that Iga Świątek set the alarm clock at 2pm in Miami, instead of at 13 o'clock – Ignacik joked after a point for a polka at 2: 6, 4: 2. Unfortunately, a few minutes later we heard not the alarm clock, but the alarm, because the game of Świątek again wrapped so much that Eala served at 6: 2, 4: 4.
It was an ugly thriller. We haven't seen such a nervous Christmas since the semi -finals of the Olympic Games. But there, in Paris, a Polish woman was a Zheng Chinese at the forefront. Those nerves were also easier to understand at the rate. After all, Iga was one step away from securing a dream medal. And here, in Miami, she played another – already difficult to count – the quarter -finals of the great tournament. For Świątek, such a quarter -finals is a normal day in the office. In 2025, Iga was the only tennis player to at least the quarter -finals of all WTA 1000 tournaments. And at least to the quarter -finals of all tournaments in which she performed this season.
Świątek is a synonym of stability at the highest level. The media from around the world calculate that she has not won any title since Roland Garros won in June 2024, but it must be honestly added to these countries that the Polish woman is still among the best wherever she plays. After her good match with Switolina in Miami, her ratings for the final triumph in this event have certainly increased. That is why it is so difficult to understand everything that happened in its quarter -final path through the torment against the sensational, but much weaker tennis Eali.
It really was hardly watched as the losing to his service games of Świątek gets more and more hints from the coach. And as at some point he suits him: “I try/try”. A moment later we heard from boxing Iga – but we do not know from whom, probably from Ryszczuk – a request: “Listen at least once”. It was with a result of 2: 6, 5: 5 and Eali. After this game, Filipinka was again only about sensation. And – unfortunately for us – she caused her!
Great applause for Eali, and for Christmas a great disappointment.