Curse ova? Alexandra Eala snaps peculiar streak with Madrid win over Pavlyuchenkova

The streak is over! Or shall we say ova?

That was one of the sentiments for Alexandra Eala’s supporters Wednesday after the 20-year-old won her first-round match at the Mutua Madrid Open. Eala broke Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova four times to seal a 6-3, 6-3 victory in kicking off her bid.

“The intensity was really high throughout the whole match,” Eala said during her visit to the Tennis Channel Desk afterwards. “One of the things that I really had to focus on was a good percentage of first serves. I know Anastasia is a big hitter, so I think that helped with my match today.”

The victory ensured Eala moved through to the second round of this WTA 1000 for the third year running. It also put an end to an alleged “curse” that her fan base has been tracking over the past 12 months since the Filipina dispatched Viktoria Tomova exactly one year ago today.

When the Quezon City native fell at the Miami Open, X user @ichpruens published, “The OVA curse continues. Karolina Muchova effortlessly defeats Alex Eala.”

On Tuesday ahead of Eala taking the court, X account @alexealastan was somewhat resigned. “Oh naur... Alex Eala will face (another ova 😭) Pavlyuchenkova at Madrid R1.”

Pleaded @APalaiz before her match, “Please beat the OVA.”

The references are just a few examples related to a peculiar streak Eala ended Wednesday. Coming in, she had lost eight consecutive matches against opponents with last names ending in “ova”—which notably contributed to her winless streak against Czech foes rising to 0-12 and arguably sees the stat still live on in country-specific form.

OVA IT!

• 2025 Madrid 1R: Defeated Tomova
• 2025 Birmingham 1R: Lost to Fruhvirtova
• 2025 Wimbledon 1R: Lost to Krejcikova
• 2025 Montreal 1R: Lost to Vondrousova
• 2025 Tokyo 1R: Lost to Valentova
• 2026 Abu Dhabi QF: Lost to Alexandrova
• 2026 Doha 1R: Lost to Valentova
• 2026 Indian Wells 4R: Lost to Noskova
• 2026 Miami 4R: Lost to Muchova
• 2026 Madrid 1R: Defeated Pavlyuchenkova

The earliest Eala could snap the skid against competitors from Czechia in Madrid is the third round, but that scenario requires both her and Karolina Pliskova to get through a pair of encounters. A worthy challenger in No. 19 seed Elise Mertens awaits Eala in the second round.