Keys, who rose to world No. 7 after winning her first Grand Slam title, had entered the WTA 250-level ATX Open in Austin, Tex., which begins February 24. The American entered the tournament as world No. 21, with fellow American Jessica Pegula entering as world No. 6.

Due to an odd rule preventing more than top 10 player participating in a WTA 250 tournament, the ATX Open announced Tuesday that Keys will no longer be eligible to participate in the event. The Austin-based tournament already has No. 6 Jessica Pegula committed to play.

American tennis player Madison Keys’ had to pay a heavy cost for her maiden Australian Open title as she was forced to skip ATX Open due to bizarre WTA rule.In a statement, the ATX Open organisers said “As a 250-level tournament,

America’s Madison Keys have been denied entry into an ATP 250 event because of an interesting reason. The 29-year-old recently achieve the biggest prize of her career as she lifted her maiden Grand Slam in Melbourne.

Madison Keys is currently one of the biggest names in women’s tennis, but her successful title run at the Australian Open has come at a cost. The American lifted her maiden Grand Slam trophy after defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final at Melbourne Park.