Alex Eala bowed out of her singles debut at the Bad Homburg Open after a straight-sets loss to Elise Mertens, 6-3, 6-3, on Monday night (PH time).

Eala showed early promise, breaking Mertens in the opening set to surge ahead 3-1. The 19-year-old Filipina held serve confidently in the early games, even firing an ace to open the match and maintaining a 2-1 edge.

But Mertens, a seasoned Belgian and former top doubles player, quickly regrouped. She erased the deficit with steady baseline play and strong serving, highlighted by multiple aces.

After leveling at 3-3, Mertens seized control, winning three straight games to take the opening set, 6-3. She finished the set with five aces and 18 winners against 13 unforced errors.

The second set followed a similar script, with Mertens dictating play early. She broke Eala to build a 3-0 lead, extending her run to eight consecutive games dating back to the first set.

Eala managed to halt the slide and stay within reach, trimming the deficit to 4-2 with an ace and improved returns.

Still, Mertens’ consistency proved decisive. She held serve at 5-3 and, despite Eala saving two match points, closed out the match on her fourth opportunity with a service winner.

Eala exits the singles draw but will remain in competition. She is set to partner with former World No. 1 and 7-time grand slam champion Venus Williams in the doubles Round of 16 on Wednesday (PH time), marking a high-profile pairing on the grass courts of Bad Homburg.