Filipina sensation Eala packs Keys off

Australian Open champion Madison Keys crashed out of the Miami Open on Sunday suffering a shock loss to 19-year-old Filipina wildcard Alexandra Eala.

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Russian 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, coming off back-to-back WTA 1000 wins in Dubai and Indian Wells, also exited in the third round, her 13 match wining streak ending with a three sets loss to American Amanda Anisimova.

The 6-4, 6-2 win for Eala over fifth-seeded American Keys prompted her to hug her team and celebrate passionately after she became the first woman from the Philippines to beat a top-10 opponent since the ranking system came into being in 1975.

Eala, the 2022 US Open girls’ singles champion who has been based to the Rafael Nadal academy in Mallorca since she was 13, will now take on Spain’s Paula Badosa for a spot in the quarterfinals.

“Growing up it was tough,” she said. “You didn’t have anyone from where you're from to pave the way. Of course you had many people to look up to around the world, but I think — I hope this takes Filipino tennis to the next step,” Eala said in her on-court interview.

Keys, who was badly beaten by Aryna Sabalenka in the Indian Wells semi-finals, conceded she was well short of her best form.