MIAMI — In a surprising turn of events at the Miami Open, young Alexandra Eala from the Philippines outperformed Madison Keys in their third-round match on Sunday. Despite Keys` significant advantage in WTA 1000 match wins (98 vs. Eala`s 3) and a much higher WTA ranking (No. 5 vs. No. 140), Eala, a wild card entrant, demonstrated exceptional skill and determination.
Eala started strong, winning eight of the first nine points and securing the first set, signaling that this match would be far from predictable. Keys, who recently won the Australian Open and was aiming for her 20th tour victory, faced relentless baseline play from Eala. The young player consistently extended rallies, patiently waiting for Keys to make errors.
The match concluded with a score of 6-4, 6-2, propelling Eala into the Round of 16 at the Miami Open. Overwhelmed with emotion, Eala celebrated her victory with jumps of joy and heartfelt hugs with her team.
Eala`s success is not entirely unexpected, as she has been making her mark in international tennis for about five years. She claimed the 2022 US Open junior girls` title, even defeating Mirra Andreeva, who is now a top WTA player.
Adding to her junior achievements, Eala has also won two Grand Slam junior doubles titles and reached the semifinals of the 2020 French Open juniors at just 15 years old.
Eala`s victory marks a historic moment as she becomes the first Filipino player in the Open Era to defeat a WTA Top 10 player since 1975. Furthermore, she is the lowest-ranked player outside the Top 100 to reach the Round of 16 at a WTA 1000 event this season.
Her three main-draw wins at this Miami Open already surpass the total wins of all Filipino players in this tournament during the Open Era.
Interestingly, Eala is the fourth wild card entrant to defeat a Top 5 player at the Miami Open in recent history.
Despite requiring medical attention during the match for a leg issue, Eala maintained her focus and pressure on Keys.
A crucial moment was Keys` double fault on a break point, which could have leveled the third set. Ultimately, Keys` high number of unforced errors (51 compared to 22 winners) proved costly. Eala played a cleaner match with 13 winners and 21 unforced errors, effectively breaking Keys` serve six times.
Keys, who had a strong 19-2 record this year before reaching the Miami Open, acknowledged Eala`s strong performance, admitting she “didn’t play great” and felt “flat,” which is not ideal against a player who consistently returns balls and absorbs power well.
Looking ahead, Eala is set to compete against Paula Badosa in the Round of 16. Badosa, who won her previous match against Clara Tauson, appeared to be struggling with a back injury.
Eala`s journey in tennis includes participating in the WTA Future Stars event in Singapore in 2016 and 2017 and making her WTA debut at the 2021 Miami Open qualifiers. She has been training at Rafael Nadal’s Academy since age 13. Coleman Wong, another player from the academy, is also having success in the men`s draw at Miami.
