“It was a tough match from the start,” Myra said after the match. “Even though I won the first set 6-1, I was very focused on every point.
“I felt good, then it started to rain, but I was focused and ready to come out here. It’s never nice to end like that, but at the moment I’m happy with my week and happy to make the final.”
The women’s final on Saturday will be the fifth time Keys and Maria have met, with the former Australian Open champion leading their head-to-head matchup with three wins over the German.
The world No. 27 won her first meeting at Wimbledon in straight sets during her first quarterfinal run in 2015 and followed that up with two more wins at the US Open in 2017 and Charleston in 2019.
However, Maria was successful in her last match on grass at The Queen’s Club in 2025, winning 6-3, 7-6(3). The world number 112 made history at the tournament by qualifying and defeating four players in the top 15 en route to the title in the club’s first women’s tournament in more than 50 years.
In addition to her highest career title at the HSBC Championships, Maria won her first WTA title on grass in Mallorca in 2018. Her hard-hitting game is known for being a threat on the surface, with her best result at a major coming at Wimbledon in 2022 when she reached the semi-finals, ranked 103rd in the world.
Keys also shows consistent power on the grass, holding a 60-23 record on the surface. In addition to her three grass-court titles, she has reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon twice and has already reached the quarter-finals on this scale – losing to runner-up Jessica Pegula in Berlin.
“It’s going to be a really tough match,” Keys said of her 16th career singles final at the Tour level.
“She’s such a great player and the grass in particular suits her game so well. It got me last year at Queen’s so hopefully I’ll get my revenge tomorrow. Really looking forward to another final here in Eastbourne.”
How to watch Madison Keys vs. Tatiana Maria
You can watch Keys and Maria play in the Lexus Eastbourne Open Women’s Singles Final live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport, as well as the Tennis Channel.