Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala will be facing off against Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the Round of 64 of the Mutua Madrid Open.
Eala previously beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3, 6-3, on Wednesday in their Round of 128 matchup. Mertens, on the other hand, has been waiting in the wings for her opponent after drawing a bye in the first round.
Elise Mertens: A Doubles Master and Multi-Time Champion
Eala’s next opponent, Elise Mertens, has built a reputation as arguably one of the greatest doubles players ever, having won 24 WTA Doubles championships. Notably, the 30-year-old has won six Grand Slams in Doubles, with the most recent being at the Australian Open earlier this year.
The Belgian isn’t too shabby in Singles either, having won a total of 10 WTA titles, with her 2025 WTA 250 Hertogenbosch (Libéma Open) being the most recent one. Currently, Mertens is ranked No. 21 in the world, which is 23 spots higher than Eala’s No. 44 ranking.
Mertens also came out victorious in her lone matchup with Eala—a Round of 32 battle in the WTA 250 Monastir Open, where the veteran prevailed 7-5, 6-0. This next matchup between Alex Eala and Elise Mertens ought to be interesting, as the latter—much like the former—hasn’t had much success on clay this year.
Alex Eala Next Match
WTA 1000 Mutua Madrid Open – Round of 64 (Singles)
Alex Eala vs. Elise Mertens Friday, April 24, 2026 (6:30 PM) Time subject to change.
