After tricky clay-court campaigns, Alex Eala and Venus Williams can’t wait to get going on the grass.
They will have their sights set on Wimbledon, no doubt, but won’t want to arrive at the third Grand Slam of the year underprepared.
Is Alex Eala ‘overhyped and overrated’?
Some fans think so…
Luckily for Eala and Williams, they have just been awarded wild cards for a grass-court event the week before Wimbledon.
Alex Eala and Venus Williams receive Bad Homburg Open wild cards
The Bad Homburg Open’s official Instagram account announced which three players have been given wild cards into this year’s main draw.
“The good news keeps coming: Eva Lys, Venus Williams and Alexandra Eala have been awarded main draw wildcards for the 2026 Bad Homburg Open,” they said.
2026 Bad Homburg Open wild cards
- Alex Eala (Philippines) – WTA #37
- Eva Lys (Germany) – WTA #81
- Venus Williams (USA) – WTA #459
Eva Lys is one of the most popular German players on tour, but has slid down the rankings recently due to injury.
Looking to return to winning ways, Lys will be keen to make the most of the opportunity.
Williams, 45, has lost 10 consecutive WTA Tour singles matches, but remains a big draw, so it’s no surprise she was given a wild card.
Then, there’s the Filipina sensation, Eala.
Making her WTA Tour main draw debut on grass a year ago, Eala impressed on the surface, leaving many excited by what she may achieve in 2026.
Alex Eala’s career grass-court record (4-3)
| Match | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 2025 Nottingham Open – 1R | Magda Linette | LOSS | 4-6, 3-6 |
| 2025 Eastbourne Open – 1R | Lucia Bronzetti | WIN | 6-0, 6-1 |
| 2025 Eastbourne Open – 2R | Jelena Ostapenko | WIN | 0-6, 6-2, 3-2 (RET) |
| 2025 Eastbourne Open – QF | Dayana Yastremska | WIN | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2025 Eastbourne Open – SF | Varvara Gracheva | WIN | 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 |
| 2025 Eastbourne Open – F | Maya Joint | LOSS | 4-6, 6-1, 6-7 |
| 2025 Wimbledon – 1R | Barbora Krejcikova | LOSS | 6-3, 2-6, 1-6 |
Eala lost her first-round matches at the Nottingham Open and Wimbledon, but it was in Eastbourne that she shone.
The youngster advanced through qualifying before defeating Lucia Bronzetti, Jelena Ostapenko, Dayana Yastremska, and Varvara Gracheva en route to the final.
There, she met Australia’s Maya Joint.
Eala and Joint battled it out in a thrilling final, with both players squandering several championship points.
Eventually, Joint won the title in a third-set tiebreaker, 7-6 (10-8).
Eala will want to get over the line and win her first title on grass this year, and will have several chances to do so.
The Filipina will play tournaments in Birmingham, Queen’s, Berlin, and Bad Homburg this year.
However, if she could choose which event to win, she might want to avoid taking the title in Bad Homburg…
How have Bad Homburg Open winners performed at Wimbledon?
Five players have won the Bad Homburg Open title: Angelique Kerber, Caroline Garcia, Katerina Siniakova, Diana Shnaider, and Jessica Pegula.
Only one, Kerber, made it to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon the week after.
Bad Homburg Open winners and their Wimbledon performances
| Year | Champion | Wimbledon performance |
| 2021 (WTA 250) | Angelique Kerber | Lost in SF to Ash Barty |
| 2022 (WTA 250) | Caroline Garcia | Lost in 4R to Marie Bouzkova |
| 2023 (WTA 250) | Katerina Siniakova | Lost in 2R to Lesia Tsurenko |
| 2024 (WTA 500) | Diana Shnaider | Lost in 3R to Emma Navarro |
| 2025 (WTA 500) | Jessica Pegula | Lost in 1R to Elisabetta Cocciaretto |
Garcia, Siniakova, Shnaider, and Pegula all suffered relatively early exits at the All England Club.
Admittedly, the sample size is small, but winning the title in Bad Homburg ironically seems to act as a bad omen for Wimbledon!
Eala won’t want to concern herself with that just yet, though, as she will be up against it trying to reach the final in Germany.
Top eight seeds at the Bad Homburg Open
- [1] Iga Swiatek
- [2] Elina Svitolina
- [3] Mirra Andreeva
- [4] Karolina Muchova
- [5] Linda Noskova
- [6] Ekaterina Alexandrova
- [7] Naomi Osaka
- [8] Iva Jovic
Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka are the biggest names competing in the event, joined by top youngsters Mirra Andreeva and Iva Jovic.
The 2026 Bad Homburg Open begins on Saturday, June 20.
