Belgian No. 1 Elise Mertens once again proved to be a difficult hurdle for Alex Eala, defeating the Filipina in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, in the opening round of the WTA 500 Bad Homburg Open in Germany on Tuesday morning (Manila time).
Eala, ranked World No. 30, was unable to overcome World No. 26 Mertens for the second time this season despite entering the tournament in strong form.
The 20-year-old Filipina arrived in Bad Homburg fresh off her title run at the WTA 125 Birmingham Open and a semifinal appearance at the WTA 500 Berlin Tennis Open.
Eala showed encouraging signs early in the match, with her improved serve and ability to absorb and redirect pace helping her gain the upper hand.
She broke Mertens in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead in the opening set.
However, that would be as close as she came to seizing control of the match. Eala’s serve and forehand began to falter, allowing Mertens to break back in the fifth game.
The Belgian then reeled off the next five games to claim the first set, 6-3.
Mertens maintained her momentum in the second set, consistently pushing Eala onto the defensive and forcing a string of unforced errors.
The 30-year-old Belgian raced to a 3-0 advantage and never looked back.
Eala had a chance to narrow the gap in the fifth game after earning a break point, but Mertens relied on her strong serving to hold and extend her lead to 4-1.
The former World No. 12 closed out the match with a comfortable service hold in the ninth game, securing victory in one hour and 24 minutes in the final match of the day on Centre Court at TC Bad Homburg.
With the win, Mertens advances to the second round, where she will face former World No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
Eala, meanwhile, will now turn her attention to doubles competition, where she is set to partner tennis legend Venus Williams.
The duo will face alternate entrants Catherine Harrison of the United States, ranked World No. 144 in doubles, and Australia’s Alexandra Osborne, ranked World No. 141.
