Keys to face Maria in Eastbourne final
- Last updated: June 27, 2026 | 10:14
Former Australian Open champion Madison Keys will face German veteran Tatjana Maria in the Eastbourne final after the pair benefited from their opponents' retirements on Friday.
American second seed Keys won the first set of her semi-final 6-1 before Croatian Petra Marcinko pulled out ahead of the second set.
The 31-year-old, who won the Australian Open last year, is into her first final since finishing as the Trophee Clarins runner-up in Paris in May.
Keys is hoping to win the Eastbourne crown for a third time, with her first WTA title coming at the Wimbledon warm-up event 12 years ago.
Maria, 38, took her opening set 6-1 against Jelena Ostapenko in the other semi-final and was 2-1 down in the second set when the Latvian third seed withdrew.
The world number 112 won the grass-court tournament at Queen's Club last year and is one victory away from another triumph on the surface after reaching her first final in 2026.
Keys, ranked 27th, was beaten by Maria in the Queen's semi-finals in 2025.
In the men's tournament at Eastbourne, French sixth seed Ugo Humbert and Belgium's Zizou Bergs ruined hopes of an all-British final.
World number 30 Humbert denied injury-plagued Jack Draper -- playing in his first tournament since April -- as he powered to a 7-5, 6-3 in sweltering conditions on the south coast.
Former world number four Draper, who is being coached by two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, had been bidding to reach a first final since last year's Madrid Open.
Bergs, ranked 48th, fought back from a set down to defeat world number 142 Toby Samuel 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 in the other semi-final.
Agence France-Presse