Madison Keys has once again written her name into Eastbourne’s history books, claiming a third title at the WTA event with a 7-5 6-4 victory over Tatjana Maria in Saturday’s final.
Competing in the main draw of the Lexus Eastbourne Open for the sixth time — the same venue where she lifted her first career WTA trophy back in 2014 — the American produced another dominant week on the south coast of England to complete a familiar triumph.
Keys powered her way to the title with victories over Talia Gibson, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, seventh seed McCartney Kessler, Petra Marcinko, and finally Tatjana Maria, who had defeated her en route to last year’s Queen’s Club title.
With the win, the 31-year-old joins tennis royalty Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova as the only players to have won the women’s singles title at Eastbourne on three or more occasions.
The final itself reflected Keys’ aggressive, front-foot style. Her powerful serve and frequent net approaches consistently put pressure on Maria, allowing her to strike early in the opening set. Although she briefly wavered while serving for it, squandering two set points with double faults, she immediately responded, breaking back in the next game and eventually sealing the set on her fifth opportunity.
Maria continued to resist in the second set, using her variety and slicing to disrupt rhythm, but Keys eventually broke through in the seventh game to move ahead 4-3. From there, she closed with authority, converting her first championship point to secure the title.
Across her career, Keys now owns 11 titles, including four on grass: Eastbourne in 2014, 2023, and 2026, as well as Birmingham in 2016. Just note that the Eastbourne tournament downgraded from a WTA 500 to a WTA 250 event in 2025.
