By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala’s Cinderella run continued at the 2025 Miami Open after shocking reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys, 6-4, 6-2, to punch her ticket to the fourth round on Sunday, March 23 (early Monday, Philippine time).
It was the second time in three days that Eala made heads turn – a record of sort in an Open era – by beating top-30 opponents, having ousted world No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko on Saturday (Manila time) for the right to face Keys, who is ranked No. 5.
“I just keep my head down, keep running and stick with the plan. I hope this takes Philippine tennis to another step,” said Eala in a post-match interview.
Though reeling from a semifinal defeat to world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells, Keys was coming off with 17 wins of her 18 matches before facing Eala.
The 19-year-old Filipina tennis sensation, meanwhile, was coming into the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA1000) tournament as a wildcard, proving her worth by first stunning world No. 75 Katie Volynets in the opening round before slaying Ostapenko.
The left-handed Eala slowly made her move by winning eight of the first nine points, four of the first six games and ultimately the first set.
From then on, Eala dictated the pace, breaking Keys twice at 3-2 and 5-2, then claiming the match after Keys missed an inside-out forehand wide.
“I don’t think I’ve had time to process everything that’s happened,” Eala added in a separate interview. “So I’m taking it step by step and just focusing on what I need to do next. It’s a big thing to take in, and I’m so super proud of what I was able to accomplish, but it definitely fuels more.”
The road to top keeps on getting tougher, as Eala next faces world No. 10 Paula Badosa, who downed Danish Clara Tauson, 6-3, 7-6 (3). If the stars aligned, a victory against Badosa would arrange her a quarterfinals meeting with the winner between world No. 22 Elina Svitolina and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek.
The match between Eala and Badosa will be shown live on Blast TV app starting at 7 a.m. Tuesday (March 25). Its linear simulcast of Premier Sports 2 on all platforms including cable; Direct to Home; Blast TV app and connected TV like Samsung TV plus.
