Miami Open: Keys knocked out by wildcard Eala
Alexandra Eala beat Madison Keys 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday and will face Spaniard Paula Badosa, the No 10 seed, in the next round
Madison Keys, Madrid Open, 2024 © Zuma / Panoramic
Filipino wildcard Alexandra Eala won against American Madison Keys, the No 5 seed, 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the last 16 of the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
Eala is the first Filipino woman in the Open era to defeat a Grand Slam champion, and the first player, male or female, since Eric Taina beat Michael Chang in Indianapolis in 2003.
She is the first Asian teenager to defeat a former Grand Slam champion – following Naomi Osaka and Zheng Qinwen.
Eala, ranked No 140, will play Spaniard Paula Badosa, the No 10 seed, next.
Ahead of her victory, the 19-year-old Filipino defeated American Katie Volynets (6-3, 7-6 (3)) and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, the No 25 seed (7-6 (2), 7-5).
Keys disappointed with her serve
Keys had won her last 12 matches against players ranked outside the Top 100 but was let down by her serve against the world No 140 as she sprayed four double faults.
“I don’t think I played great and she played really well and unfortunately that’s how tennis goes sometimes,” Keys explained in her post-match presser. “I definitely think that my serve wasn’t really there today and I kind of just fell a little flat and when you’re playing someone who makes a ton of balls back and absorbs really well… that’s not the key to success.”
Further, the American admitted to experiencing performance pressure following her Australian Open triumph:
“It’s obviously a huge achievement, something I’d been dreaming of forever. It’s still something that I’m kind of getting used to a little bit and I’ve probably put a little more pressure on myself, having achieved that and wanting more. So, I think it’s going to be something I have to learn to manage.”
Keys, ranked No 5, beat Armenian Elina Avanesyan (6-3, 6-3) in the previous round of the Miami tournament.
Miami WTA 1000, other third-round results (Hard Rock Stadium, hard, USD 8.963.700, most recent results first):
- Amanda Anisimova vs. Mirra Andreeva
- Emma Raducanu vs. McCartney Kessler
- Anna Kalinskaya vs. Jessica Pegula
- Marta Kostyuk (23) beat Anna Blinkova: 6-2, 6-1
- Iga Swiatek (2) beat Elise Mertens (27): 7-6 (2), 6-1
- Elina Svitolina (22) beat Karolina Muchova (15): 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
- Paula Badosa beat Clara Tauson (20): 6-3, 7-6 (3)
- Qinwen Zheng (9) beat Taylor Townsend (Q): 6-1, 7-6 (3)
- Danielle Collins (14) beat Rebeka Masarova (Q): 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
- Magda Linette beat Linda Fruhvirtova (Q): 7-5, 6-4
- Coco Gauff (3) beat Maria Sakkari (28): 6-2, 6-4
- Aryna Sabalenka (1) beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse (Q): 6-1, 0-0 ret.
- Naomi Osaka beat Hailey Baptiste (WC): 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4
- Ashlyn Krueger beat Leylah Fernandez (26): 6-1, 7-5
- Jasmine Paolini (6) beat Ons Jabeur (31): 4-3 ret.
