Madison Keys pulls out of third WTA Finals match due to illness with Ekaterina Alexandrova taking her place

Madison Keys has withdrawn from her final group stage match in the WTA Finals. Unfortunately for the American, she was deemed not well enough to play after picking up an illness. Second-alternative Ekaterina Alexandrova will take her place for the final matchup against Elena Rybakina, which will take place at 14:00 BST today.

The American had not been at her ultimate best since tasting success in the Australian Open, her maiden Grand Slam title. This could be summarised after a disappointing exit in the first-round of the US Open.

She has not stepped on-court until the on-going WTA Finals, with her sights firmly on resting and recovering for this prestigious event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, it has not gone the way she would have hoped for.

She was thrashed by a rampant Iga Swiatek, with Keys managing to pick up a pitiful three games enroute to a 6-1, 6-2 demolishing from the six-time Grand Slam champion. Her next match was a last-chance saloon, with a defeat against fellow countrywomen Amanda Anisimova marking the end of her WTA Finals campaign. It started positively for her, with Keys clinching a late break of serve to put her on the road to a one-set advantage. it looked very good for Keys early on in the second set after an early break, but after going 3-1 up the two-time Grand Slam finalist upped the gears. She ticked off five games on the spin to abolish the deficit and level the tie.

The recent China Open champion continued her up-turn in form, swiftly finding herself 5-1 ahead of the helpless Keys, who could do not prevent Anisimova serving it out, ending her hopes of glory in the Middle East.

However, she still had one more match against Rybakina, who currently sits top of the standings. The 30-year-old would have hoped for a positive ending in this afternoon's clash, but will now be forced to watch on the sidelines.

It is a lucky turn of events for Russian Alexandrova, who will fill in for the absence of Keys to make her WTA Finals debut. The 30-year-old finished 10th in the race for Riyadh, trailing fellow countrywoman Mirra Andreeva who missed out by a whisker.

This should make her the next in line to feature. However, with Andreeva playing in the doubles alongside Diana Shnaider, she was not fit enough to compete today, making it Alexandrova's lucky day.

Alexandrova and Rybakina recently faced off in the Ningbo Open final, with Rybakina coming back from a set down to take the title. It was one of the main factors in why she is competing currently in Riyadh, with another unexpected matchup between the pair set to commence soon.