By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Filipina rising star Alex Eala bowed out of the 2026 Madrid Open women’s singles after a straight-sets loss to Belgium’s Elise Mertens, 6-2, 6-1, in the Round of 64 in Madrid, Spain.

Mertens, seeded 19th, controlled the match from the outset, capitalizing on her efficiency on serve and dominance in return games to close out the contest in just over an hour.

The Belgian fired three aces and won 75 percent of points on her first serve, while also converting five of 11 break-point opportunities.

In contrast, Eala struggled to gain traction, managing no aces and winning just 47 percent of her first-serve points.

Mertens also dictated play in rallies, winning 61 total points compared to Eala’s 38, and breaking the Filipina’s serve repeatedly to take command of both sets.

Eala, who had a higher first-serve percentage at 88 percent, was unable to translate it into effective holds, winning only 40 percent of her second-serve points and failing to convert her lone break-point chance.

Eala later also exited in the doubles play as she and partner Zeynep Sönmez were swept by the tandem of Taylor Townsend and Kateřina Siniaková, 6-1, 7-5, in the Round of 16./ASC, WDJ