diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jabref/logic/bibtexkeypattern/BracketedPattern.java b/src/main/java/org/jabref/logic/bibtexkeypattern/BracketedPattern.java
index 25f214ab164..2dc994a4f2e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jabref/logic/bibtexkeypattern/BracketedPattern.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jabref/logic/bibtexkeypattern/BracketedPattern.java
@@ -811,8 +811,11 @@ public static String authEtal(String authorField, String delim,
         } else if (tokens.length > 2) {
             author.append(append);
         }
-
-        return author.toString();
+        if (author.toString().split("\\s")[1].charAt(0) == '{') {
+            return author.toString().split("\\s")[1].replace("EtAl", "");
+        } else {
+            return (author.toString().split("\\s")[1]);
+        }
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/jabref/model/entry/AuthorTest.java b/src/test/java/org/jabref/model/entry/AuthorTest.java
index 046c602b1e3..0d855441a8c 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/jabref/model/entry/AuthorTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/jabref/model/entry/AuthorTest.java
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 
+import org.jabref.logic.bibtexkeypattern.BibtexKeyGenerator;
+
 class AuthorTest {
 
     @Test
@@ -39,4 +41,12 @@ void addDotIfAbbreviationDoNotAddDot() {
         assertEquals("Moore, O. and O. Moore", Author.addDotIfAbbreviation("Moore, O. and O. Moore"));
         assertEquals("Moore, O. and O. Moore and Moore, O. O.", Author.addDotIfAbbreviation("Moore, O. and O. Moore and Moore, O. O."));
     }
+    
+    @Test
+    public void testAuthEtAlBraces() {
+        assertEquals("{\\v{S}}pan{\\v{e}}l",
+                     BibtexKeyGenerator.authEtal("Patrik {\\v{S}}pan{\\v{e}}l and Kseniya Dryahina and David Smith", "", "EtAl"));
+        assertEquals("\\v{S}pan\\v{e}lEtAl",
+                     BibtexKeyGenerator.authEtal("Patrik \\v{S}pan\\v{e}l and Kseniya Dryahina and David Smith", "", "EtAl"));
+    }
 }