By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense Alex Eala’s campaign at the Bad Homburg Open women’s singles came to an abrupt end after she was beaten by Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the opening round yesterday (Philippine time).

Mertens secured a 6-3, 6-3 straight-set victory to advance to the Round of 16, continuing her perfect record against Eala on the WTA Tour, her third win against the Filipino tennis star.

The defeat came just days after Eala enjoyed one of the strongest stretches of her young professional career, reaching the semifinals of the Berlin Open and boosting her standing ahead of the grass-court tournament in Germany.

Eala looked poised to build on that momentum when she raced to a 3-1 advantage in the first set, but Mertens gradually turned the match around with steady baseline play and effective serving.

The Belgian veteran regained command of the contest by winning key games late in the opening set before carrying that momentum into the second as she strung together a dominant run that left Eala struggling to regain her footing.

Their rivalry began in 2023 at the Jasmin Open in Tunisia, where Mertens prevailed in straight sets.

The Belgian also defeated Eala earlier this year at the Madrid Open, extending her unbeaten run in the matchup.

With the win, Mertens moved on to the next round and kept alive her bid for a strong showing ahead of Wimbledon.

She will face four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.

Despite the setback, Eala remains one of the players to watch on the women’s circuit after a breakthrough grass-court season that included a semifinal appearance in Berlin and a return to the WTA Top 30 rankings./ASC, WDJ