Eala defeats Queen's champ Vekic, Bartunkova upsets Mertens in Berlin

Youth triumphed over experience on Wednesday at the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Berlin Tennis Open with victories for two of the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz's most promising up-and-comers.

In the last first-round match to be played, 21-year-old Alexandra Eala saved 12 out of 14 break points to defeat Donna Vekic, last week's champion at Queen's, 7-5, 6-4. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Nikola Bartunkova delivered a brilliant performance to advance to her first grass-court quarterfinal, saving five out of six break points in a 6-1, 6-4 win over Elise Mertens.

Eala will next face No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina in the second round -- a rematch of their third-round meeting in Rome, which Rybakina won 6-4, 6-3. Bartunkova will take on either No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka or Ekaterina Alexandrova as she bids to reach her second tour-level semifinal.

Eala stronger in decisive moments against Vekic

Eala's win hinged on a narrowly-contested first set in which momentum swung back and forth between the two players. Vekic, who arrived in Berlin late on Sunday night after capturing her first WTA 500 title in London last week, broke first -- but failed to take a point for a 3-0 lead, and was broken back after offering a tame approach shot up for Eala to punish with a pass.

The World No. 35 then put together a four-game run to lead 4-2, but a superb single-handed backhand winner from Vekic sparked a three-game shift towards the Croatian to lead 5-4. However, it was Eala who raised her game at the tail end of the set -- at 5-5, she came up with a drop shot and a scorching backhand down the line to threaten the Vekic serve. Once again, Vekic's execution down break point let her down -- this time with a drop shot that landed on the service line, a simple putaway for Eala.

This time, Eala compiled a five-game run to lead 2-0 in the second set -- a lead she did not let slip, even when the match was paused for several minutes as she held a point for 5-3 due to a medical incident in the crowd.

The Filipina, who saved 12 of 14 break points, saved her most clutch tennis for the very last game. With her back to the wall, Vekic unleashed consecutive return winners, and held four points to level at 5-5. Eala saved all four with bold tennis, and closed the match out with three consecutive unreturned serves - reflective of a terrific serving performance that included eight aces.

"I told myself that she's fighting back, but I'm also a fighter," Eala said in her on-court interview. "So I have to try -- I have to try and give her a hard time. You know Donna is an incredible player, and she's been showcasing it a lot lately. Every time I play her it's been very difficult. I had a lot of expectations for this match in terms of the level I had to bring."

Eala improved to 2-0 against Vekic, having also defeated her 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the Auckland first round in January.

Bartunkova shows off creativity to avenge loss to Mertens

No. 62-ranked Bartunkova is gaining a reputation as one of the most creative players on tour, and she showed off her unpredictability from the word go. On her first return point, she rushed the net straight off the return, and wrong-footed Mertens with a neat volley. On the second, she found a sharp backhand angle on return, then sliced a delicate winner into the open court.

The Czech player, who was the Wimbledon junior finalist in 2023, continued to demonstrate how neatly her game fits grass courts by keeping Mertens guessing with angles, spins and superb volleying. As the Belgian raised her level in the second set, Bartunkova matched her with a series of spectacular down-the-line drives on the run as she overturned a 2-0 deficit.

Like Eala, Bartunkova's confidence in her game under pressure was impressive. She saved four out of the five break points she faced all match. Down 4-3 in the second set, she committed consecutive double faults to hand Mertens a 0-30 opening -- and responded with a fine hold to escape danger.