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Madison Keys suffers shock loss from Filipino wildcard at Miami Open

Madison Keys suffers shock loss from Filipino wildcard at Miami Open
Alexandra Eala of the Philippines returns a shot against Madison Keys of the United States during their match on March 23, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Updated 24 March 2025

Madison Keys suffers shock loss from Filipino wildcard at Miami Open

Madison Keys suffers shock loss from Filipino wildcard at Miami Open
  • Alexandra Eala becomes first woman from the Philippines to beat a top-10 opponent since the ranking system came into being in 1975
  • Russian Mirra Andreeva, coming off back-to-back WTA 1000 wins in Dubai and Indian Wells, also exited in the third round

MIAMI GARDENS, United States: Australian Open champion Madison Keys crashed out of the Miami Open on Sunday suffering a shock loss to 19-year-old Filipino wildcard Alexandra Eala.
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 semifinals, conceded she was well short of her best form.
“My serve was not really there today and I just kind of felt a little flat — and when you are playing someone who makes a ton of balls back and absorbs really well, that’s not really the keys to success,” said the American.
Andreeva, the 11th seed, hoped to continue her rise up the rankings with a strong showing in Miami but appeared to be hampered by injury as she lost to 17th seeded Miami resident Anisimova.
Andreeva received lengthy medical attention in her abdominal area when 2-1 down in the first set, which she lost 7-6 (7/5).
She bounced back, dominating the second set 6-2 but Anisimova won the third set of the 2 hour and 49-minute battle 6-3.
Anisimova will face Emma Raducanu in the fourth round, after the British player advanced when her American opponent McCartney Kessler retired injured in the second set of their encounter.
Iga Swiatek overcame a determined Elize Mertens to secure a 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 victory and take her place in the last 16 at a WTA 1000 tournament for a record 25th straight event.
Second-seeded Swiatek has not lost before the last 16 at this level since Cincinnati 2021.
The Pole was 5-2 up in the first set but Mertens fought back to make it 5-5 before Swiatek was able to regain her dominance in the tie-break.
Swiatek didn’t look back from that point on, making short work of the second set as her struggles on serve improved.
In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic broke the record for the most ATP Masters 1000 match wins with his 6-1 7-6 (7/1) win over Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli.
The Serb’s 411th win at this level takes him past the previous record set by Nadal.
Belgian veteran David Goffin, who eliminated world number three Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round, fell to American Brandon Nakashima, who won 6-3 6-7 (5/7) 6-3.
Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, who won his first title in over a year last month at Dubai, fell to 24th-seeded American Sebastian Korda 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.
“It’s awesome. I was born in Florida. My whole family is here. It’s just a lot of fun to play here and get my first Top 10 win of the year,” said Korda.
“I tried to serve well, tried to come to the net when I could, and I’m just happy with my performance today,” he said.
Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov battled to a 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 7-5 win over Karen Khachanov in a contest in which the baseline predictably dominated.
The 33-year-old’s victory, secured over two hours and 38 minutes, made Dimitrov the fourth active player to tally 100 Masters 1000 hard-court wins.
“It’s great. Last year I think I hit 100 wins indoors, now this. It’s beautiful I think every time you hit such a milestone,” said Dimitrov.
“We know each other very well, we practice with each other a lot, so there weren’t really secrets. At the end of the day, it came down to a few points.”
38-year-old Frenchman Gael Monfils delighted his supporters defeating Spaniard Jaume Munar 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (7/1).


Ryder Cup has been getting out of control for years. New York took to it a new level

Ryder Cup has been getting out of control for years. New York took to it a new level
Updated 59 min 31 sec ago

Ryder Cup has been getting out of control for years. New York took to it a new level

Ryder Cup has been getting out of control for years. New York took to it a new level
  • The Ryder Cup crowd has been getting out of control going back to Brookline in â€99, when Colin Montgomerie took so much personal abuse that his father walked off the golf course
  • Along with being the leading points-earner for Europe at Bethpage Black, Tommy Fleetwood won the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award, which honors the player who best embodies the true spirit of the Ryder Cup

FARMINGDALE, N.Y.: Rory McIlroy got so fed up with one American at the Ryder Cup that he asked security to throw out the spectator. The noise was so loud and relentless that McIlroy talked about taking medicine for a headache.

This was 2016 at Hazeltine.

The behavior at Bethpage Black took the atmosphere to a new level, which surprised no one who has seen championship golf on the Long Island public course even without an “us versus them” competition involving flags like the Ryder Cup.

The tone was set Friday morning when a fan screamed out, “Fore, right!” as Jon Rahm was over his tee shot. A small section started an expletive chant at McIlroy, which was repeated Saturday morning by Heather McMahan, hired as a master of ceremonies by the PGA of America.

The Ryder Cup crowd has been getting out of control going back to Brookline in â€99, when Colin Montgomerie took so much personal abuse that his father walked off the golf course. The crowd began turning on the home team for losing in a year when money was at the forefront. And then on Sunday, it flipped hard the other direction with the US comeback to win.

There was curiosity going into the week if the New York fans — no stranger to teams underperforming — would turn on the Americans or double down on their vitriol toward the Europeans. It turned out to be the latter.

“Things got out of hand — that was disappointing. We knew the crowds would be like that,” former PGA of America president Ted Bishop told golfchannel.com. “If you’ve attended any New York sporting event, Yankees, Mets, that’s what you’re going to get in New York.”

Bishop was PGA president when the Ryder Cup was awarded to Bethpage Black. He also was the president who appointed Tom Watson captain of the â€14 matches at age 65, which led to a task force to give players more control.

What makes it worse now is a culture in which fans think it’s acceptable to do this. Think back to The Players Championship in a practice round when a University of Texas player took video of heckling McIlroy after a tee shot into the water. McIlroy walked over and took his phone.

There is loud, and there is lewd. Bethpage was the latter. That prompted McIlroy to say golf should be held to a higher standard. “I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf. I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week.”

Then again, McIlroy and Shane Lowry retaliated with F-bombs of their own.

Equally troubling, however, is another trend on both sides of the Atlantic. When the visiting team missed a putt or missed the fairway, there used to be a lag time of a few seconds before the home crowd clapped or cheered. Now it’s immediate.

There’s little chance of that going back to the way it was.

Back to work

The extreme highs and lows of the Ryder Cup are over, and now it’s time to get to work for 10 players directly involved at Bethpage Black.

Rasmus Hojgaard went from his Ryder Cup debut to trying to keep his full PGA Tour status. The Dane is No. 87 in the FedEx Cup standings and playing in the Sanderson Farms Championship this week in Mississippi.

The top 100 in the FedEx Cup keep their PGA Tour cards. Also in Mississippi are vice captains Brandt Snedeker and Francesco Molinari.

Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntire have flown to Scotland for the Dunhill Links Championship, where Hatton is the defending champion.

And then there was this reminder from Tabitha Furyk, the wife of Jim Furyk who does most of the heavy lifting for the Constellation Furyk & Friends event on the PGA Tour Champions this week in Jacksonville, Florida. She told of Thomas Bjorn approaching her at Bethpage Black and asking about his pro-am time.

Bjorn and fellow vice captain Jose Maria Olazabal were on a flight Monday from New York to Jacksonville. Furyk, meanwhile, goes from being a vice captain to his first time playing since hip replacement surgery in April.

Fleetwood Honor

Along with being the leading points-earner for Europe at Bethpage Black, Tommy Fleetwood won the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award, which honors the player who best embodies the true spirit of the Ryder Cup. It’s named after Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin, part of Ryder Cup lore for allowing the 1969 matches to end in a draw.

Fleetwood went 4-1-0, raising his record in four Ryder Cups to 11-4-2.

He also kept a cool head during the one tense moment inside the ropes, when Justin Rose barked at Bryson DeChambeau’s caddie for walking in his space as Rose was studying his putt during fourballs.

“Sportsmanship is important to our game and the Ryder Cup is the most intense environment we experience, and things can always happen that test you,” Fleetwood said. “But Luke Donald has instilled in this team an amazing attitude that we should always play with the right spirit. That has really helped us get over the line and win the Ryder Cup once again.”

Moving on

Wake Forest alum Michael Brennan is among 10 players from the PGA Tour Americas who are moving up. Brennan won three times to secure Korn Ferry Tour membership, and he picked up a $25,000 bonus for leading the Fortinet Cup in Canada.

Brennan also secured a spot in the RBC Canadian Open next year.

The others from the top 10 who move on to the Korn Ferry Tour are Jay Card III, Davis Lamb, David Perkins, Brett White, Derek Hitchner, John Marshall Butler, Drew Nesbitt, Theo Humphrey and Carson Bacha.

Nesbitt also gets into the Canadian Open as the top Canadian on the points list.

Divots

Tyrrell Hatton now has gone eight consecutive Ryder Cup matches without losing, dating to his singles loss to Justin Thomas in 2021 at Whistling Straits. ... The Netherlands can count on local presence when it hosts the Solheim Cup next year. Anne van Dam has been appointed a vice captain for Anna Nordqvist. ... Nicolas Colsaerts is making his 500th career start on the European tour this week in the Dunhill Links Championship. Colsaerts is retiring from full-time golf after this year. ... The Travelers Championship generated more than $4 million for 245 charities, the most in its tournament history. ... The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and the Memorial again will provide one spot into the British Open for the leading player not already exempt. The Canadian Open will have three spots.

Stat of the week

Starting with the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, Scottie Scheffler has won 38 percent of the tournaments he has played and 22 percent of his Ryder Cup matches.

Final word

“It’s the best. It’s more fun than any event we play. There’s nothing else you can be a part of where you can just get your face kicked in like we did the first two days and have that much fun.” — Justin Thomas on the Ryder Cup.


Osimhen scores from the spot as Galatasaray beat Liverpool 1-0

Osimhen scores from the spot as Galatasaray beat Liverpool 1-0
Updated 01 October 2025

Osimhen scores from the spot as Galatasaray beat Liverpool 1-0

Osimhen scores from the spot as Galatasaray beat Liverpool 1-0
  • The win was a first in seven years at home in the Champions League for the Turkish side and a notable one against opponents unbeaten in all competitions until last weekend
  • Liverpool’s Brazilian keeper ruled out of Chelsea game

ISTANBUL: Victor Osimhen scored from the spot as Galatasaray dealt Liverpool a stinging second successive defeat on a tough Champions League night in Istanbul on Tuesday.

To add injury to the 1-0 result, Liverpool lost goalkeeper Alisson and French striker Hugo Ekitike with manager Arne Slot ruling the Brazilian out of Liverpool’s next Premier League game at Chelsea.

“It’s never positive if you go off like this. You can be sure he’s not playing on Saturday and let’s wait how long it’s going to take,” he said of Alisson, who made key saves but could not keep out Osimhen’s 16th-minute penalty.

The masked Nigerian striker stepped up after Baris Alper Yilmaz went down on being swiped in the face by Dominik Szoboszlai.

Salah started on the bench

Liverpool made three changes to the lineup that suffered a first league defeat of the season by Crystal Palace at the weekend, with Mohamed Salah on the bench along with record signing Alexander Isak.

Both came on in the 62nd minute when Liverpool made a triple substitution, with Salah replacing starter Jeremie Frimpong on the right wing, after Alisson had gone off injured and was replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili in the 56th.

Ekitike, in the starting lineup on his return from a domestic suspension, went off in the 68th on a bruising night for the visitors who had their chances but looked alarmingly vulnerable in defense.

The win was a first in seven years at home in the Champions League for the Turkish side and a notable one against opponents unbeaten in all competitions until last weekend and now dealt two losses in a row.

Galatasaray could have been in front already in the second minute when Yilmaz caught the defense napping and went one on one with Alisson, who stood firm and shut out the danger.

Liverpool then missed a golden chance of their own in the 13th when Ekitike miscued the ball after getting into a scoring position and Cody Gakpo had a shot cleared off the line on the rebound.

From almost taking the lead, Liverpool found themselves behind seconds later.

“We are sometimes a bit outsmarted in situations like this, and I cannot blame Dom for that situation. They make from a 20 percent penalty, maybe a 100 percent penalty. And that is something that is very smart of them,” said Slot.

The visitors had the chance to equalize in the 32nd, with another Ekitike shot blocked and Ibrahima Konate missing from close range, but continued to look vulnerable and gave away a free kick on the edge of the area on the stroke of halftime.

The second half brought a raft of substitutions but no change on the pitch and Liverpool still looking nervous in defense, with loose passing as Galatasaray worked constantly to keep up the pressure.

Alisson limped off after saving from Osimhen and Ekitike then pulled up after stretching for the ball.

Liverpool sniffed an equalizer in the 88th when referee Clement Turpin pointed to the spot but was overruled by a VAR review correctly deciding that Wilfried Singo had played the ball.

“For me this was a different performance on the ball and off the ball than it was last Saturday,” said Slot.

“First half I think we played quite well, we had a big chance to go one-nil up and then the counter-attack. I don’t think he touched him with his leg, it was the hand that made it a penalty.”

Fans displayed banners protesting the war in Gaza at both ends of the pitch, with a tribute to the late Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva before the kickoff.


Griezmann scores 200th Atletico goal in 5-1 win over Frankfurt

Griezmann scores 200th Atletico goal in 5-1 win over Frankfurt
Updated 01 October 2025

Griezmann scores 200th Atletico goal in 5-1 win over Frankfurt

Griezmann scores 200th Atletico goal in 5-1 win over Frankfurt
  • Griezmann eventually reached his milestone with a strike from close range in first-half stoppage time, celebrating with an Atletico shirt bearing “200” on the back as the club’s record goalscorer

MADRID: Antoine Griezmann scored his 200th goal for Atletico Madrid as they secured their first Champions League win of the season with a 5-1 home victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday after Julian Alvarez also netted twice.
Playing without suspended manager Diego Simeone after his red card in their 3-2 opening defeat at Liverpool, Atletico took charge from the start, buoyed by a fervent home crowd still celebrating Saturday’s 5-2 derby thrashing of Real Madrid.
Atletico opened the scoring after four minutes through Giacomo Raspadori, who capitalized on a loose ball in the box after the defense failed to clear an Alvarez effort from a Giuliano Simeone cross, leaving the former Napoli striker unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box.
Griezmann missed a gilt-edged chance midway through the first half, slicing a volley from close range and immediately falling to his knees in disbelief.
But Robin Le Normand extended Atletico’s lead in the 32nd minute, firing home the rebound after Griezmann’s back-heeled effort from a corner was saved.
Griezmann eventually reached his milestone with a strike from close range in first-half stoppage time, celebrating with an Atletico shirt bearing “200” on the back as the club’s record goalscorer.
Alvarez provided the assist with a brilliant run past two defenders before serving the ball on a plate for the French forward to score.
Frankfurt threatened a comeback when Jonathan Burkhardt’s deflected effort wrongfooted keeper Jan Oblak in the 57th minute but Giuliano Simeone restored a three-goal cushion with a clever near-post header from a corner two minutes after Griezmann had a second goal ruled out for handball in the build-up.
Alvarez completed the rout in the 82nd minute, chipping home a penalty after VAR spotted a handball by Robin Koch that the referee initially missed, sealing a comprehensive victory that sets up a mouth-watering clash at Arsenal in three weeks’ time.
“I have enjoyed a lot this evening, it’s a great feeling. I’m very proud to have reached the 200-goal mark,” Griezmann told Movistar Plus. “It’s been tough but together we’ve managed to achieve it.
“The team is in good form. The comeback against Rayo (Vallecano in a 3-2 LaLiga win last Wednesday) did us good. We’re on a roll and we have to keep it up. We’re pressing hard, being aggressive and setting a fast pace for the game.
“That’s our strength, our style of football, and we have to keep it up. We want to score goals and not concede. We always want more.”


Kane shines again as Bayern cruise past Pafos in Champions League

Kane shines again as Bayern cruise past Pafos in Champions League
Updated 01 October 2025

Kane shines again as Bayern cruise past Pafos in Champions League

Kane shines again as Bayern cruise past Pafos in Champions League
  • The result made it two wins from two in the league phase for Bayern following their 3-1 win at home to Premier League side Chelsea on matchday one, in which Kane netted twice

PAPHOS, Cyprus: Harry Kane continued his rich goalscoring form with a brace and Nicolas Jackson scored his first Bayern Munich goal in a 5-1 win at Pafos in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The result made it two wins from two in the league phase for Bayern following their 3-1 win at home to Premier League side Chelsea on matchday one, in which Kane netted twice.
“We struggled away from home in the league phase last season,” Kane told German TV, calling the match “a good away win.”
“I’m going into games with confidence, knowing I’ll get my chances. Scored a couple more goals today, I’m happy with that,” he added.
Having set the record for the fastest man to 100 goals in a top-five league on Friday, doing so from 104 games, Kane was quick to get on the scoresheet, sliding the ball in with 14 minutes played.
Raphael Guerreiro got in on the action six minutes later, before Jackson added a third for the visitors on the 31st-minute mark.
The goal was Jackson’s first since joining on a season-long loan from Chelsea in the summer.
Not known for his dribbling, Kane took the ball past the Pafos defense down the left flank and hammered in with 34 minutes played. The goal was Kane’s 17th in nine games in all competitions for Bayern this season.
Pafos needed a stunner to pull one back just before half-time when Mislav Orsic unleashed a dipping rocket from outside the box, the club’s first-ever Champions League goal.
With 21 minutes remaining, Bayern’s Michael Olize rewarded himself with a goal, knocking in from a tight angle after Jackson shot straight at the goalkeeper.
The score was a fortunate reflection of the night for the Cypriot side, with Bayern hitting the woodwork three times.
The defending German champions have now won nine from nine to start the season, their best start in 13 years.


Mourinho’s Benfica beaten on Chelsea return in Champions League

Mourinho’s Benfica beaten on Chelsea return in Champions League
Updated 01 October 2025

Mourinho’s Benfica beaten on Chelsea return in Champions League

Mourinho’s Benfica beaten on Chelsea return in Champions League
  • Rios’ costly blunder in the first half at Stamford Bridge ruined Mourinho’s hopes of a win over the club he is most closely associated with

LONDON: Benfica boss Jose Mourinho was beaten on his return to Chelsea as Richard Rios’ own-goal condemned the former Blues manager to a 1-0 defeat in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Rios’ costly blunder in the first half at Stamford Bridge ruined Mourinho’s hopes of a win over the club he is most closely associated with.
Mourinho and then-owner Roman Abramovich transformed Chelsea into a superpower after his appointment in 2004, winning three Premier League titles among seven major trophies across his two spells in charge.
The 62-year-old’s managerial star may be on the wane following a decade without a league title, but his west London home-coming was still a box office occasion.
Mourinho had started the season in charge of Fenerbahce, who sacked him in August before he returned to his former club Benfica this month.
While Stamford Bridge is the scene of Mourinho’s former glories, it has not been a happy hunting ground for him since.
He has failed to win any of his seven visits with Manchester United, Tottenham and now Benfica since leaving Chelsea for the second time in 2015, while his lone success in the away dugout came with Inter Milan in 2010.
Despite the loss, Mourinho took heart from Benfica’s battling display.
“A defeat is always a defeat but this one can be a start for us. It was a stable performance,” Mourinho said.
“When a team changes coach mid-season it’s because things are not good. So we’ve had some difficulties. But we could have come away from here with a draw.”
Having claimed he was “always a Blue” and still the “biggest” manager in the club’s history on Monday, Mourinho, who retains a house near Stamford Bridge, had insisted Chelsea’s fans would give him a warm welcome on his latest return.
The prediction proved spot-on as Mourinho’s name was loudly chanted several times throughout the match by Chelsea fans who rose in unison to applaud him.
The Mourinho love-in inspired a strong start from Benfica, with Vangelis Pavlidis forcing Robert Sanchez to save at the climax of a flowing move.
Sanchez made another important stop when Dodi Lukebakio’s drive was pushed onto the near post by the Chelsea goalkeeper.

- Mourinho frustration -

But Chelsea rode their luck to take an 18th-minute lead thanks to Rios’ error.
Pedro Neto found Alejandro Garnacho inside the Benfica area and the Argentinian’s cross triggered a panicked clearance from Rios, who diverted the ball high into his own net from close range.
Mourinho’s luck was out, but he was still willing to play peacemaker when Benfica fans threw missiles at Chelsea captain Enzo Fernandez — who had a brief spell at the Portuguese club — marching down the touchline and gesturing to the supporters to stop the barrage.
Mourinho got his wish but Chelsea weren’t so compliant and Tyrique George should have doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time when the young forward shot wide from a good position.
Benfica played with purpose after the interval but lacked the cutting edge required to carve out an equalizer.
Even a red card for Chelsea forward Joao Pedro for a high boot on Leandro Barreiro in the final seconds couldn’t spare Mourinho from a frustrating defeat.
While Mourinho was left to bemoan the first loss of his Benfica reign, it was a welcome success for Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea had lost three of their previous four games against Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Brighton, raising questions about Maresca’s ability to take the club to the next level.
Maresca has led Chelsea to UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup glory since taking charge last year, but Mourinho waspishly diminished both those achievements this week.
The Blues’ fourth win in nine games in all competitions this season was a timely response from Maresca.
“The effort was very good,” he said. “In the last games we have conceded too many goals. We need to be better defensively, so a clean-sheet is nice.”