MIAMI — Entering Sunday`s third-round match at the Miami Open, Madison Keys held a considerable advantage over Alexandra Eala in almost every metric. Keys boasted 98 WTA 1000 match wins, a staggering 95 more than the 19-year-old wildcard entrant from the Philippines. Furthermore, her WTA ranking stood at No. 5, a significant 135 places above Eala.
However, the unheralded left-hander quickly disrupted expectations, seizing eight of the initial nine points, four of the first six games, and ultimately securing the first set. It became evident that something remarkable was unfolding.
Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, aimed for her 20th tour victory of the year, a tour-leading figure. Yet, Eala, displaying unwavering resilience from the baseline, refused to yield. She extended rallies and capitalized on Keys` errors.
Eala triumphed on the Grandstand court with a score of 6-4, 6-2, securing a surprising place in the Miami Open Round of 16. Overjoyed, with tears in her eyes, she celebrated with her team in the stands.
Eala`s success is not without precedent, as she has been competing on the international tennis scene for approximately five years.
In 2022, Eala clinched the US Open junior girls` title, defeating Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals – the same Andreeva who recently secured WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells and is currently ranked No. 6.
Prior to that, Eala had claimed two Grand Slam junior doubles titles and reached the semifinals of the 2020 French Open juniors at the age of 15.
She is the first player from the Philippines in the Open Era to achieve a victory against a WTA Top 10 player since the introduction of the ranking system in 1975. Eala is also the first player outside the Top 100 to reach the Round of 16 at a WTA 1000 event this season.
To emphasize the magnitude of her achievement, Eala`s three main-draw match wins at the Miami Open surpass the combined total of all players from the Philippines in this tournament during the Open Era.
Adding to the trivia, Eala is the fourth wildcard entrant to defeat a Top 5 player at the Miami Open since a certain year.
Despite requiring two trainer visits and a medical timeout for a leg issue, Eala maintained her intensity and pressure.
A critical moment in the match was Keys` double fault on Eala`s third break-point opportunity while serving to level the third set at 3-3.
Ultimately, the statistics revealed the story: Keys accumulated 51 unforced errors compared to just 22 winners. Eala demonstrated greater efficiency with 13 winners and only 21 unforced errors, breaking Keys` serve six times.
Keys had won 19 out of 20 matches this year leading up to her semifinal appearance at Indian Wells a week prior. However, she lost that match to Aryna Sabalenka. Following her second-round victory over Elina Avanesyan and this result, she has now lost two of her last three matches.
“I don’t think I played great, and I think she played really well,” Keys admitted afterwards. “Unfortunately, that’s tennis sometimes. My serve wasn’t really there today, and I felt a bit flat. Playing against someone who returns many balls and absorbs power effectively isn`t a recipe for success.”
Later, Jessica Pegula, the No. 4 seed, rallied to defeat Anna Kalinskaya, the No. 32 seed. She is set to face Marta Kostyuk, who defeated Anna Blinkova.
Eala participated in the WTA Future Stars event in Singapore in 2016 and 2017 and debuted on the WTA Tour at the 2021 Miami qualifying event. In her press conference, she elaborated on her background, explaining her move from the Philippines to Rafael Nadal’s Academy at age 13, where she has trained for seven years. Coleman Wong, another Nadal Academy prospect, remains in the men’s draw after defeating Ben Shelton.
Eala`s next challenge is against Paula Badosa for a quarterfinal spot. Badosa, who won her match against Clara Tauson, appeared to be troubled by a recurring back injury, requiring a medical timeout in the second set and needing assistance to carry her rackets off the court after the match.
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth