Alex Eala might have pulled off her biggest victory in 2025 after a 6-3, 7-6 victory over home bet and world No. 73 netter Katie Volynets in the round of 128 of the Miami Open on Thursday at the Hard Rock Stadium.

This was Eala’s first win in the tournament since joining in 2021.

It took the 19-year-old Rafael Nadal Academy graduate one hour and 52 minutes before finally getting over her American foe.

This is only the second time Eala made it out of the first round of a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 event since the Madrid Open in Spain last year.

Volynets is also the latest top 100 player Eala defeated after beating world. No. 41 Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine in the Madrid Open last year.

Now, Eala, a three-time Junior Grand Slam champion is set to face her toughest challenge yet in world No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the round of 64.

Ostapenko won the 2017 French Open after a 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 victory over Simona Halep of Romania.

The 27-year-old Latvian also won the 2024 US Open women’s doubles title with Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine after they defeated Kristina Mladenovic of France and Zhang Shuai of China, 6-4, 6-3, in the finals.