Eala exits Bad Homburg Open after first-round Mertens loss

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Alex Eala failed to advance in the Bad Homburg Open after losing to Elise Mertens in the opening round, 6-3, 6-3, on June 23, 2026, in Hesse, Germany.

The veteran doubles specialist showed all the tricks up her sleeve, frustrating the 21-year-old Filipina ace with a comeback for the ages in the first set, which set the tone for the entire match.

Eala came out waxing hot after leading 3-1 against Mertens, but the Belgian tactician flipped the script after racking up eight consecutive games to establish dominance.

To kick off the come-from-behind effort, Mertens adjusted quickly on the grass surface and sent several booming serves to restore order.

After taking care of her service angles, Mertens made Eala work on the court, throwing a series of baseline-lob 1-2 patterns that erased the Filipina’s two-game lead.

One of the main keys that Mertens executed was neutralizing Eala’s heavy forehand topspin strokes by closing the gap at the net.

With Mertens rushing to the net, Eala’s baseline hitting rhythm was disrupted, leaving her with limited options for either an on-the-rise backhand pickup or a looping forehand return.

All hell then broke loose in the second set after Mertens zoomed to a comfortable 3-1 lead, scoring an early break point to suck the life out of Eala.

Eala showed some signs of life after saving two match points, but Mertens closed the show with a game-sealing service hold to wrap up the win in 1 hour and 24 minutes.

With the loss, Eala will now redirect her focus to the Grand Slam stage of Wimbledon, where she will etch her name in the history books as the first Filipina to earn a singles seeding at a Grand Slam tournament at No. 29.