Alex Eala vs Elise Mertens – Madrid Open – Round of 64

Alex Eala continues her campaign in the 2026 Madrid Open vs No. No. 19 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium in the Round-of-64.

Alex Eala vs Elise Mertens

Elise Mertens took the sixth game for a 4-2 lead.
Elise Mertens with a 30-0 lead in the sixth game.
Alex Eala holds again but Mertens still up 3-2.
Mertens hits back-to-back aces to take a 3-1 lead.
Alex Eala responds with a hold. She’s down 2-1 in the first set.
Elise Mertens holds at love for a 2-0 lead over Alex Eala.
Mertens is on serve. She’s up 40-0 in the second game.
Mertens scores early break versus Eala for the 1-0 lead in the first set.
2 breakpoints for Mertens.
Mertens rallies and forces a deuce.
Match begins. Eala serves first. She was up 40-0 in the first game.
Players on the court, getting prepared for warm ups.

MANILA,

Philippines – Alex Eala and partner Zeynep Sonmez opened their doubles campaign in the 2026 Madrid Open with a convincing win on Thursday.

The Filipino-Turkish duo bundled out the pair of Chan Hao-ching and Fanny Stollar, 6–2, 6–2, to advance to the Round of 16.

Eala and Sonmez, who are close friends off the court, also continued their respective singles campaigns.

MANILA, Philippines

–Alex Eala pounced on an erratic Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, rolling to a 6-3, 6-3 win in her 2026 Madrid Open debut on Wednesday night (Manila time) at Aranxa Sanchez Stadium in Spain.

Eala, hoping to turn her fortunes around following a difficult start on clay, advanced to face another battle-tested netter in Belgian World No. 19 Elise Mertens in the second round. Mertens reached a career-high ranking of 12th back in November 2018.

In her first clay-court WTA 1000 campaign of the season, Alex Eala made an immediate statement, demonstrating composure and control on this surface.

The world no. 44 Filipina carved out a convincing 6-3, 6-3 victory over seasoned Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the round of 128 of the Mutua Madrid Open on Wednesday evening (Philippine time).

This marked their first head-to-head meeting, with Eala matching her Madrid result from the past two years — and now in position to push deeper into the draw.

The opening exchanges were tight, with the 34-year-old Pavlyuchenkova dictating early rallies and keeping firm through the first four games. But Eala’s consistency from the baseline and improved shot selection kept her serve games intact, leveling things at 2-2.

From there, the 20-year-old flipped the match.

A well-timed break in the fifth game shifted the momentum, as Eala began to extend rallies and force mistakes off the Russian’s wing. That break opened the door for a three-game surge to 4-2, putting her firmly in control of the set.

Sensing the moment, Eala remained aggressive on return and secured another break in the ninth game, closing out the set 6-3 with poise and precision.

Eala carried that same baseline discipline into the second set, this time getting ahead early with a break in the fourth game to take a 3-1 edge.

The set briefly turned scrappy, as both players traded breaks in quick succession.

Pavlyuchenkova eventually got on the board with her first break in the fifth game, but Eala responded immediately in the next game to restore control at 4–2. From there, the Filipina settled back into rhythm — holding serve with authority and keeping rallies on her terms.

Both players protected their serves the rest of the way, but Eala never let the lead slip, closing out the match with the same 6-3 scoreline to complete a composed straight-sets victory.

The edge ultimately shown on serve. Eala landed 68% of her first serves and won 76% of those points, a clear advantage over Pavlyuchenkova’s 58% and 50% respectively.

Up next, Eala faces a tougher test in the round of 64 against 19th seed Elise Mertens of Belgium, as she looks to build upon this strong opening performance in Madrid.

MADRID, Spain — Alex Eala marked a strong start to her Mutua Madrid Open campaign on April 22, defeating Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3, 6-3 in her tournament debut.

The Filipina rising star overpowered a seasoned opponent in Pavlyuchenkova, a former Grand Slam finalist, showing control and confidence throughout the match at the Caja Mágica.

Eala took charge of key moments in both sets, counting on her consistency and discipline against the more experienced Russian.

In a one-on-one interview with ABS-CBN News, Eala reflected on her performance and the key factors behind her win.

think the key to today was keeping the intensity during the matches,” Eala said. “Of course, Anastasia is a great player… she’s very seasoned. Jitna ko na siyang napapaanood sa TV, kaya naman sobrang saya ko sa panalo today.”

Even after dropping the opening point, Eala remained focused — a mentality, she said, is crucial in high-level matches.

“Losing the first point? No, because the match is consisting of many, many points… it’s a very normal thing to lose the first point,” she explained.

Adapting to Madrid’s unique clay conditions, especially the altitude, was also a factor in her performance.

“I think the adjustment went pretty well,” she added. “I’ve had a couple of days already to feel the court and to do these things… but more than anything, today I was able to execute certain things that I’ve been working on for weeks already.”

Beyond her on-court performance, Eala continues to carry the Filipino flag with pride. She recently attended the Laureus World Sports Awards wearing a Filipiniana-inspired outfit, highlighting her identity as a Filipina athlete on the global stage.

“Siyempre bahut sa akin ang hai pinoy… I try to embodies that in a lot of the things I do because I’m so passionate about it… nakaka-proud,” she said.

Support from the Filipino community was evident in Madrid, with several kababayans—including representatives from the Philippine Embassy—present to cheer her on during the match. Her presence continues to resonate with Filipino fans both in Europe and back home.

“Maraming maraming salamat mga kababayan, sa lahat ng nanood sa akin dito sa Madrid… maraming salamat din,” Eala said in a message to her supporters.

The victory marks a positive move for Eala on clay as she continues her campaign in Madrid at the WTA 1000 level.

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