For the third time in a row, Alex Eala has once again suffered an early exit on clay. This time, she dropped out of the Mutua Madrid Open in the Round of 64 after losing to Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-1 on Friday evening.
The match began with Eala racing out to a 40-love lead in the opening game. However, Mertens showcased her composure immediately, erasing the deficit to steal the break and set the tone for the contest.
Eala stayed within reach early, holding serve to trail, 3-2, in the first set. But from that point on, Mertens tightened her grip as she dictated rallies with precision, mixing in depth and angles and capitalizing on key moments.
A crucial break in the seventh game allowed the Belgian to pull away and eventually secure the opening set in just over half an hour.
Elise Mertens Takes Full Control in Second Set
The second set followed a similar script, only more emphatic.
The No. 19 seed in the tournament struck early once again, breaking in the opening game before racing to a commanding 4-0 lead. Despite tightly contested games that often reached deuce, the 30-year-old Belgian consistently won the critical points.
The Filipina managed to get on the scoreboard at 4-1, showing flashes of resilience, but could not sustain momentum.
Mertens’ efficiency on serve, more particularly her dominance behind first serves, combined with her defensive discipline, proved too much. Closing with another break, Mertens sealed the match in 1 hour and 16 minutes, improving to 2-0 in their head-to-head with the Quezon City native.
The 10-time WTA singles champion converted five of 11 break-point chances while saving the only break point she faced. Her control from the baseline and ability to absorb pressure highlighted the gap in experience on clay.
Alex Eala Now Shifts Focus to Doubles
For Alex Eala, the loss marks her third straight early exit in a clay-court Singles tournament, following abbreviated stints at Linz and Stuttgart.
However, she will continue playing in Madrid in Doubles, where she and her partner, Zeynep Sönmez, will play in the Round of 16 against Kateřina Siniaková and Taylor Townsend. This matchup will take place later tonight.
