Australian Open champion Madison Keys awaits Alex Eala in Miami 

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Reprising her underdog role, Alex Eala hopes to defy the odds again in the Miami Open when she battles Madison Keys, the world No. 5 and reigning Australian Open champion

MANILA, Philippines – In two matches in the Miami Open, Alex Eala was hardly given any decent chance of emerging victorious. She had, in fact, been predicted by oddsmakers to get beaten in straight sets by higher ranked foes. 

But the Filipina teen defied those odds, even winning both games in straight sets.

Eala will reprise her underdog role when she plays in the third round of a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event for the first time in her career.

The world No. 140 Eala will tangle with Madison Keys of the United States — the reigning Australian Open champion and world No. 5 — on Sunday, March 23 (Monday, March 24, Philippine time) at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

After an impressive second-round showing where she prevailed in two close sets over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, Eala will once again have to contend with a Grand Slam champion in Keys. 

Not only is Keys a Grand Slam winner, but she is also one of the most in-form players in the WTA circuit this season.

The 30-year-old began the year by beating fellow American and world No. 4 Jessica Pegula in the finals of the WTA 500 Adelaide International in Australia. 

Two weeks later and still Down Under, she made history as the oldest first-time women’s Grand Slam champion when she won the Australian Open. 

What made her ascent to the Australian Open throne even more impressive is that she became just the fourth woman to beat four top 10 players on her way to the crown — thumping 10th seeded compatriot Danielle Collins and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the early rounds, before upending the top two players in the world, second seed Iga Swiatek of Poland in the semifinals and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the finals.

Keys, playing just her third tournament of the year, made the semifinals last week of the WTA Indian Wells, where she beat former world No. 4 and Tokyo Olympics singles gold medalist Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, No. 38 and former world juniors top seed Anastasia Potapova of Russia, No. 31 and four-time doubles Grand Slam champion Elise Mertens of Belgium, and No. 19 Donna Vekic of Croatia. 

But Eala has shown remarkable progress during her first-round triumph over world No. 73 Katie Volynets of the US and her upset victory over No. 25 Ostapenko.

In downing Ostapenko, Eala recorded several firsts — first time to notch a win over a multiple Grand Slam winner; first time to beat a player ranked in the top 25 in the world; first time to reach the third round of a WTA event. 

Eala has been lighter on her feet, which has made her quicker in chasing after balls for crosscourt and down-the-line counters during rallies. 

The 19-year-old’s perennial waterloo, her service game, has been steady as Eala made 71.5% of her first serves. She has just committed a mere two double faults per match, a marked improvement from her previous matches. 

This prevented both Volynets and Ostapenko from attacking what used to be known as the area of vulnerability in the Filipina’s game. 

Eala has to be at her absolute best against Keys, who tries to overwhelm opponents with her big serves and powerful groundstrokes. She cannot allow the American to dictate the pace of the match. 

The Rafa Nadal Academy product has already proven her groundstrokes are at par with some of the best in the world. A solid service game from Eala that is not easily breakable will enable her to put herself in a position to score another upset. – Rappler.com