MANILA — Alex Eala’s run at the Berlin Open ended in the semifinals on Sunday morning in Manila after Czech player Linda Noskova defeated the Filipino, 6-2, 6-4, in 69 minutes.
Eala will quickly shift her focus to another WTA 500 tournament as she opens her Bad Homburg Open campaign on Monday against Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the round of 32 at the Spielbank Bad Homburg Centre Court.
The 21-year-old Filipino enters a tournament field led by former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland and reigning French Open champion Meera Andreeva, who are seeded first and second, respectively.
Eala could also face Noskova again later in the tournament after losing to the Czech for the second straight time in Berlin.
Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, who has Filipino roots, is also in the Bad Homburg draw. Fernandez will open her campaign against Britain’s Katie Boulter, and she could meet Eala in the quarterfinals.
Eala arrived in Berlin as a wildcard entry and advanced to the semifinals after defeating world No. 8 Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 6-4, in the quarterfinals.
“Elina is a huge fighter, and I’ve seen it many times,” Eala said in her on-court interview after the match.
“I’ve been watching her since I was a kid, so to be able to compete with her today is such an honor, and I really admire her. She’s a mother, and I find her to act with such elegance and strength, and I’m really lucky to have had this match today,” she added.
Eala owns a victory over Swiatek from her run at the Miami Open last year and said in Berlin that she appreciated the opportunity to compete against some of the world’s top players.
In Bad Homburg, Eala is seeded 27th and occupies the bottom half of the draw. If she defeats Mertens, she could face Japan’s Naomi Osaka in the next round and potentially meet Andreeva in the third round.
Noskova improved to 2-0 against Eala and advanced to the Berlin Open final, where she will face American Jessica Pegula.
Pegula reached the championship match after defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4, 7-6, 6-0, in the other semifinal.
