March 25, 2025, MIAMI GARDENS, United States: Australian Open champion Madison Keys suffered a shocking defeat to 19-year-old Filipino wildcard Alexandra Eala at the Miami Open on Sunday.
Russian 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, fresh from back-to-back WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells, also exited in the third round, her 13-match winning streak ending with a three-set loss to American Amanda Anisimova.
Eala's 6-4, 6-2 victory over the fifth-seeded Keys caused her to hug her team and celebrate passionately after becoming the first Filipino woman to defeat a top-10 player since the WTA rankings began in 1975.
Eala, the 2022 US Open girls’ singles champion who has trained at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca since the age of 13, will now face Spain’s Paula Badosa for a spot in the quarterfinals.
"Growing up it was tough,” Eala 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,” she added in her on-court interview.
Keys, who had a tough loss to Aryna Sabalenka in the Indian Wells semifinals, admitted her form was below par. “My serve wasn’t there today, and I just felt a little flat. When you're up against someone who returns well and absorbs the ball, it's not the key to success,” the American said.
Andreeva, the 11th seed, had hoped for a strong performance in Miami but appeared hindered by injury. She received extended medical treatment for an abdominal issue while down 2-1 in the first set, which she lost 7-6 (7/5). She responded by dominating the second set 6-2, but Anisimova won the third set 6-3 in a 2-hour, 49-minute match.
Anisimova will meet Emma Raducanu in the fourth round, after Raducanu advanced due to McCartney Kessler’s retirement in the second set of their match.
Iga Swiatek beat Elize Mertens 7-6 (7/2), 6-1, securing her spot in the last 16 at a WTA 1000 tournament for a record 25th consecutive event.
Second-seeded Swiatek has not lost before the last 16 at this level since Cincinnati 2021. The Pole, leading 5-2 in the first set, fought off Mertens' comeback to win in a tiebreak and then took control of the second set.
In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic set a new record for the most ATP Masters 1000 match wins with his 6-1, 7-6 (7/1) victory over Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli. Djokovic now holds 411 wins, surpassing Rafael Nadal’s previous record.
Belgium’s David Goffin, who had eliminated Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round, was defeated by American Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3.
Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, coming off his first title in over a year in Dubai, lost to 24th-seeded American Sebastian Korda 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.
Korda, born in Florida, celebrated his first Top 10 win of the year, saying, “It’s awesome. My whole family is here, and it’s just a lot of fun.”
Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov triumphed over Karen Khachanov 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 7-5 in a baseline-heavy contest that lasted two hours and 38 minutes, marking his 100th Masters 1000 hard-court win. Dimitrov expressed, “It’s great… every time you hit such a milestone, it’s beautiful.”
38-year-old Frenchman Gael Monfils delighted his supporters with a 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (7/1) win over Spaniard Jaume Munar.