Alex Eala lost 2-6, 1-6, to Elise Mertens in the second round of the Madrid Open.
The Filipina never threatened to cause an upset, as she suffered a comprehensive defeat in the Spanish capital.
Will Alex Eala start to lose fans if she doesn’t win a title soon?
She lost 6-2, 6-1, to Elise Mertens in Madrid…
Eala still has work to do in Madrid, returning for the second round of the doubles event with Zeynep Sonmez on Sunday, but has every right to be annoyed with the tournament organisers as she exits the singles competition.
Alex Eala deserved a bigger court for her second-round match in Madrid
Eala is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in women’s tennis.
She has yet to win a tour-level title, or break into the world’s top 20, but attracts large crowds wherever she goes.
Filipino fans from around the world join her at every tournament, supporting one of their own in fine voice.
Such fan support has led most tournaments to place Eala on the biggest courts.
Courts Alex Eala has played on in 2026
| Tournament | Courts |
| ASB Classic | Centre Court x 4 |
| Australian Open | Court 6 x 1 |
| Philippine Women’s Open | Centre Court x 3 |
| Abu Dhabi Open | Stadium x 3 |
| Qatar Open | Centre Court x 1 |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | Centre Court x 4 |
| Indian Wells | Court 3 x 1, Court 1 x 2 |
| Miami Open | Grandstand x 2, Stadium x 1 |
| Linz Open | Centre Court x 2 |
| Stuttgart Open | Centre Court x 1 |
| Madrid Open | Court 5 x 1, Arantxa Sanchez Stadium x 1 |
A decision that works best for almost everyone.
More fans get to watch Eala, the tournaments earn more in ticket revenue, and Eala has 1,000s of passionate supporters to lift her up during tough moments.
But the Madrid Open chose not to place Eala on one of the main courts for her second-round match with the 19th seed, Mertens.
After Eala beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on the Arantxa Sanchez Stadium in round one, the Filipina was relegated to Court 5 for the second round.
Friday, April 24 – Court 5, Order of Play
- 1. Karolina Pliskova defeated Maria Sakkari
- 2. Elise Mertens defeated Alex Eala
- 3. Anastasia Detuic/Katarzyna Piter vs Mirra Andreeva/Diana Shnaider
- 4. Jasmine Paolini/Sara Errani vs Nadiia Kichenok/Makoto Ninomiya
- 5. Kamilla Rakhimova/Anna Siskova vs Aleksandra Krunic/Kristina Mladenovic
So when she was struggling against Mertens, she didn’t have nearly as many fans to lean on.
Now, we’re not saying that Eala would have won the match if she had been placed on Manolo Santana, far from it, but would she have been more likely to make a comeback in a packed stadium? Probably…
The Madrid Open’s decision seems bizarre, and certainly didn’t help Eala.
And that wasn’t the only reason why Eala may have left the court frustrated.
During the latter stages of the second set, Eala received a warning from the umpire.
“Code violation warning, Miss Eala, it’s five seconds remaining, she’s ready,” he said.
Eala disputed the decision, expressing her frustrations to the umpire.
“First of all, please let me speak. You need to give me a warning [first]!”
The Filipina’s complaints fell on deaf ears, and she returned to her baseline, losing the match shortly after.
It was a tough day at the office for Eala, and one that she will be looking to move past as soon as possible.
What’s next for Alex Eala after heavy defeat to Elise Mertens?
Eala will be back in action over the weekend, when she and Sonmez take on the second seeds, Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.
Unless the youngsters pull off an almighty upset, they will be heading out of the competition.
If they do lose, Eala will quickly head over to La Bisbal for the 2026 Catalonia Open.
The Filipina is scheduled to compete as the sixth seed in the WTA 125 Challenger event, alongside several recognisable names.
2026 Catalonia Open top seeds
- [1] Leylah Fernandez
- [2] Wang Xinyu
- [3] Ann Li
- [4] Katerina Siniakova
- [5] Peyton Stearns
- [6] Alex Eala
- [7] Laura Siegemund
- [8] McCartney Kessler
Dropping down to the Challenger level, Eala will have a chance to pick up wins against lower-ranked opponents.
She is far from the favourite to win the title, but if she can win a match or two in La Bisbal, that would do her confidence the world of good as she approaches the business end of the clay-court season.
After the Catalonia Open, Eala will head over to Italy for two more events.
First, she will play the Italian Open, where she lost in the first round on debut a year ago.
Then, Eala will attend another Challenger tournament, in Parma, and will do so as the third seed.
And after Parma, the youngster will contest her second French Open main draw.
The 2026 French Open begins on Sunday, May 24.
