Alexandra Eala and world No. 2 Iga Świątek have pushed back against comparisons between the men’s and women’s tours, instead praising the Women’s Tennis Association for the way it supports and treats its players. Both stars have also enjoyed solid runs at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, advancing to the fourth round.
Iga Świątek and Alexandra Eala Play Down Gender Inequality Debate in Tennis As They Highlight WTA’s ‘Good Treatment’
Świątek, who made her much-awaited comeback at Indian Wells, started her campaign with a straight-set win over Kayla Day. She carried that momentum into her third-round clash against Maria Sakkari and avenged her Doha defeat with a comfortable 6–3, 6–2 victory. The Pole, who is also the second seed in the WTA 1000 event, has reached the fourth round, where she will face the 13th seed Karolína Muchová.
Following her win over Sakkari, Świątek addressed a variety of questions during her press conference, including whether she believes there is any scheduling inequality between the men’s and women’s tours at mixed events like the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
The Pole said she doesn’t view scheduling through a fairness lens, noting that players have different preferences and that she simply follows the schedule without comparing it to others.
When asked further about other areas where inequality might exist, Iga Świątek replied:
“I have never been a guy, I’m not on ATP Tour, so I don’t know how they’re treated. But I feel like we have good treatment, so there is nothing I would say is bad, you know, about our life on tour. It’s tough, obviously, because this sport is tough, but no, we play the same tournaments, we’re in the same environment, so I don’t know what particularly could be unequal.”
Eala, meanwhile, defeated Dayana Yastremska in three sets in the second round before advancing to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open after Coco Gauff retired midway through their match due to an arm injury. Much like Świątek, the Filipina was also asked how close she believes tennis is to achieving equality and what further changes she would like to see to reach that goal.
Eala said she cannot judge the gap between the WTA and ATP since she doesn’t compete on the men’s tour, but praised the Women’s Tennis Association for providing strong opportunities and a global stage for women players.
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“I’m not really sure how far the gap is between the WTA and the ATP, just because I’m not in the ATP circuit. I think the WTA is a great platform for us professional women tennis players, though I think it gives us a lot of opportunity. I’m very grateful for everything they have built for us, given us a chance to become these stars and do what we love in such grand stages. That’s all I’m going to say about that, yeah,” she said.
Both players will now turn their attention to the latter stages of the BNP Paribas Open. According to PFSN’s simulator, Świątek holds a slight edge with a 55% chance of defeating Karolína Muchová. Meanwhile, Eala faces a stern challenge against Linda Nosková, with the Czech given a 63% probability of progressing.
