Elise Mertens defeated Alex Eala, 6-2, 6-1, in the second round of the Madrid Open.
The Filipina was no match for the Belgian, as Eala suffered a heavy defeat on Court 5.
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…
After the match, Mertens appeared as a guest on ‘Game Set Madrid‘ and shared her thoughts on Eala.
Elise Mertens thinks Alex Eala can ‘learn a lot’ from their match in Madrid
“Yeah, it was definitely a good win,” said Mertens.
“She’s an up-and-coming player, of course, very young, so all credit to her.
“But I’m very happy about the win today, especially with the way I played.
“First match in Madrid, because I had a bye, played the doubles yesterday, so yeah, it gave me a little confidence.”
Mertens believes Eala can learn from their second-round match in Madrid.
Alex Eala vs Elise Mertens – Match stats
| Stat | Alex Eala | Elise Mertens |
| Aces | 0 | 3 |
| Double faults | 2 | 1 |
| 1st Serve % | 66% | 72% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 49% | 81% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 47% | 55% |
| Break points | 0/1 | 5/11 |
“Well, I think experience is one thing,” she said.
“The motivation is still there, the drive is still there.
“I’m 30 years old, so I’m a bit older than her, but I still feel like I have a lot to give in tennis.
“I showed that today, I think I did a really great job, especially when my first serve is working, I get a lot of advantage, percentage-wise.
“But, I think experience helps a little bit too, she’s still so young, I’m a different opponent than someone else, so she can learn a lot from that, for sure.”
Mertens is 10 years older than Eala and has seen it all during her time on tour.
The Belgian has won 10 WTA singles titles, been ranked inside the top 15, and reached a Grand Slam semi-final.
She’s enjoyed even more success in doubles, reaching world number one and winning six major titles.
Every time Eala plays someone with Mertens’ experience and quality, she will learn a lot.
Only time will tell if she can use that to her advantage if and when she plays Mertens again.
How many more clay-court tournaments will Alex Eala play this year?
It’s safe to say that clay isn’t Eala’s best surface.
She has won more WTA main-draw matches on clay this season (2) than ever before, but still looks some way off competing for titles on the surface.
Alex Eala’s clay-court record in 2026
- Linz Open 1R [WIN] vs Julia Grabher, 6-4, 6-3
- Linz Open 2R [LOSS] vs Jelena Ostapenko, 4-6, 5-7
- Stuttgart Open 1R [LOSS] vs Leylah Fernandez, 1-6, 4-6
- Madrid Open 1R [WIN] vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3, 6-3
- Madrid Open 2R [LOSS] vs Elise Mertens, 2-6, 1-6
Looking to win her first title on the red dirt, Eala will now take a step down to the Challenger level for the WTA 125 event in La Bisbal.
Eala will compete at the sixth seed in La Bisbal, against the likes of Leylah Fernandez, Ann Li, and Katerina Siniakova.
Then, she will travel to Rome for the WTA 1000 Italian Open.
Eala lost her opening match in Rome last year and will be determined to deliver a better performance in 2026.
She’ll remain in Italy for her penultimate clay-court event of the year, heading over to Parma, for another Challenger event.
Finally, she will return to the French Open, searching for her maiden win on the Parisian clay.
It remains to be seen how many matches Eala will win on clay this year, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
The 2026 Catalonia Open (La Bisbal) begins on Wednesday, April 29.
What’s next for Elise Mertens after dominant Alex Eala win?
Mertens will return to action on Sunday to take on Czechia’s Karolina Pliskova in the third round of the Madrid Open.
They have met four times previously, and Pliskova leads their head-to-head 3-1.
Before she plays Pliskova, Mertens will team up with doubles partner Shuai Zhang to take on Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs.
