Svitolina, Eala, Osorio lead Madrid wild-card recipients

Former World No.3 Elina Svitolina and 2022 US Open girls champion Alexandra Eala of the Philippines lead the list of main-draw wild-card recipients for next week's Mutua Madrid Open. 

The tournament announced six additional wild cards would go to Spain's Marina Bassols Ribera and Rebeka Masarova, Colombia's Camila Osorio and a trio of talented teenagers in Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva, Brenda Fruhvirtova and Mirra Andreeva.

Svitolina is in the early stages of her comeback from maternity leave, having made her return three weeks ago in Charleston. She is set to return to the Caja Magica for the first time since 2021.

The highest-ranked of the teenage wild cards, No.142 Fruhvirtova, 16, will join her older sister, Linda, in the main draw. Jiménez Kasintseva, 17, is the first Andorran to compete on the Hologic WTA Tour. She returns to Madrid two years since making her tour debut in the Spanish capital. 

Eala, 17, is set to make her Madrid debut. Her Spanish ties are strong. She trained at the Rafael Nadal Academy since she was 13. The reigning US Open junior champion became the first woman from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour match, in 2021.

Andreeva, 15, is the youngest wild-card recipient this year. She made the Australian Open girls' final in January, and in early April won her second ITF W60 in Chiasso, Switzerland, becoming the first player to ever win multiple ITF W60-level or higher events before the age of 16.

Osorio is set to make her main-draw debut in Madrid. She reached a career-high ranking of No.33 last season but currently sits at No.115. In February, the 21-year-old Colombian engineered a run to the semifinals in Lyon.

Masarova and Bassols Ribera lead the way for the local wild cards. Born in Basel but representing Spain, Masarova began her 2023 campaign with a strong run to her first final on the WTA Tour in Auckland. That run boosted the 23-year-old into the Top 100 for the first time. 

In addition to the eight main-draw wild cards, six qualifying wild cards have been granted to Carlota Martínez Cirez, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Emiliana Arango, Aliona Bolsova, Leyre Romero Gormaz and Rosa Vicens Mas.

Main-draw play at the Madrid Open begins on Tuesday, April 25 and runs through Sunday, May 7.