Alex Eala remained proud of her performance after yielding to reigning champion and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland, 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain Thursday night, April 24 (Manila time).

Eala, 19, showed promise against the five-time Grand Slam titlist after taking the first set of their thrilling 2-hour and 15-minute clash at the Caja Mágica Stadium, but eventually lost her momentum against the big hitting Polish star.

The Filipina netter sees the defeat as a learning experience, with the result proving why Swiatek is one of the best on clay court.

“What’s different was that she executed better [this time, especially] in the important moments [and] she had a slightly higher level than me in specific situations, and that’s something I can learn from,” said Eala moments after her loss to 2024 edition champion Swiatek.

“I’m proud of how I fought, and how I handled the moment,” she added.

Eala, who is currently ranked No. 72 in the world, looked poised in duplicating her upset win she recorded against Swiatek last month in Miami.

But the Paris Games bronze medalist denied Eala in the second and third sets, stamping her class against the youngster who visibly lost her rhythm.

“On clay I feel like I have a little bit more advantage sometimes in the situations where Alexandra could take more advantage on faster hard courts,” said Swiatek.

“I understand that there’s hype about these young players, but you have to be focused on yourself,” she added. “From the beginning I didn’t play smoothly, but I managed to solve some problems.” (With reports from WTA and Associated Press)