Alex Eala defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3, 6-3, in the first round of the Madrid Open.
The Filipina made light work of her Russian opponent, who was spraying unforced errors during their first-round clash.
Looking ahead to round two, Eala will take on the Belgian veteran, Elise Mertens.
How would you rate Alex Eala’s first-round win /10?
She beat a former semi-finalist in straight sets!
A match that will tell us all we need to know about Eala’s potential on clay…
Alex Eala could beat a top-30 player on clay for the first time when she plays Elise Mertens
Mertens is the world number 21 and one of the most experienced players on tour.
Eala has never beaten a top-30 player on clay, in five attempts.
Alex Eala’s record vs top-30 players on clay
| Match | Opponent | Opponent’s rank | Result | Score |
| 2024 Madrid Open – 2R | Sorana Cirstea | 30th | LOSS | 3-6, 7-6, 4-6 |
| 2025 Madrid Open – 2R | Iga Swiatek | 2nd | LOSS | 6-4, 4-6, 2-6 |
| 2025 Italian Open – 1R | Marta Kostyuk | 27th | LOSS | 0-6, 1-6 |
| 2026 Linz Open – 2R | Jelena Ostapenko | 23rd | LOSS | 4-6, 5-7 |
| 2026 Stuttgart Open – 1R | Leylah Fernandez | 25th | LOSS | 1-6, 4-6 |
The highest-ranked player she has beaten on the red dirt is Lesia Tsurenko, the world number 41 (2024 Madrid Open – 1R).
If Eala can upset Mertens and reach the third round, she will prove to herself and the tennis world that she is a genuine contender on clay.
But if she suffers a sixth defeat to a top-30 opponent, it will become clear that she has a problem.
In fairness, we already know one of Eala’s biggest issues…
During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, Colin Fleming suggested Eala’s serve was her biggest weakness.
Will Alex Eala’s serve stop her from winning a Grand Slam?
She only won 37% of her second serve points in her Madrid opener…
The serve was particularly shaky during the first set of her Madrid opener, and may well have cost her the match had Pavlyuchenkova been anywhere near her best.
Recovering during the latter stages of the match, Eala’s serving numbers improved, but there is still work to be done.
Alex Eala vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – Match stats
| Stats | Alex Eala | Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova |
| Aces | 1 | 4 |
| Double faults | 1 | 2 |
| 1st Serve % | 70% | 62% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 76% | 50% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 37% | 56% |
| Break points | 4/8 | 1/6 |
The Filipina was vulnerable on her second serve, a weakness that Mertens would be wise to target when they face off in the next round.
Eala and Mertens will battle it out for a place in the third round later this week, but who else could the 20-year-old meet in Madrid?
Alex Eala received boost with last-minute Madrid Open withdrawal
World number 14, Ekaterina Alexandrova, was supposed to be the highest-seed in Eala’s section of the draw.
That was before she withdrew from the event at the last minute.
Now, Mertens is the top seed in ‘Section 7’ of the Madrid Open women’s singles draw.
Section 7 Madrid Open draw top seeds
- [19] Elise Mertens
- [27] Cristina Bucsa
- [33] Maria Sakkari
- [34] Magdalena Frech
If Eala were to advance to the third round, she could meet the Greek star, Maria Sakkari,
Then, in the last 16, she might play Cristina Bucsa or Magdalena Frech.
Eala isn’t expected to reach the quarter-finals, having achieved very little on clay so far in her career, but she couldn’t have asked for a much nicer draw at a WTA 1000 tournament.
She will be keen to break new ground in the Spanish capital and qualify for her first WTA clay-court quarter-final.
There, she could meet the world number two, Elena Rybakina, or several other big names.
Big names Alex Eala could play in the Madrid Open QFs
- [2] Elena Rybakina
- [16] Madison Keys
- [21] Jelena Ostapenko
- [32] Qinwen Zheng
Rybakina and Madison Keys are both Grand Slam champions, while Jelena Ostapenko has not only beaten Eala this year on clay, but is a former French Open winner.
And Qinwen Zheng won Olympic gold on clay back in 2024.
If Eala is going to reach the semi-finals of this year’s Madrid Open, she is going to need to find another gear (or two) that we’ve never seen from her on clay before.
One thing we have learned about Eala, though, is to never count her out.
Is it likely that Eala goes deep in Madrid? No. Does that mean it’s impossible? Of course not!
It remains to be seen how well Eala will perform at the 2026 Madrid Open, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
Before she returns to singles competition, she will partner with her close friend, Zeynep Sonmez, for the first round of the doubles event on Thursday, April 23.
