ALEX EALA — FACEBOOK.COM/WTAALEX EALA scored a historic main draw win, taking down world No. 73 Katie Volynets of the USA, 6-3, 7-6(3), in the opening round of the 2025 Miami Open on Thursday at the Hardrock Stadium in Florida.
Ms. Eala, WTA No. 140, erased a flat 1-3 start by blanking Ms. Volynets the rest of the way in the first set before flaunting composure in the extended second to squeak through into the Round of 64.
The 19-year-old Filipina sensation will test her mettle against world No. 5 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, who gained a bye in the Round of 128 as a top-ranked player.
Ms. Eala, playing in her first Miami Open main draw campaign after multiple exits in the qualifiers, showed jitters against the 23-year-old home bet by staring at an early two-game deficit.
But she was quick to adjust and recover, breaking Ms. Volynets’ multiple serves while holding her own to win the next six games for a 1-0 lead.
It was the polar opposite in the second as Ms. Eala nearly wasted a 5-3 lead and allowed a tiebreaker, where she proved to be the steadier bet down the stretch.
Ms. Eala is one of the eight wildcard entries in the 128-player Miami Open main draw along with former Grand Slam champions Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) and Sloane Stephens (USA), Victoria Mboko (Canada), Sayaka Ishii (Japan), Tyra Caterina Grant (USA) and Ajla Tomljanovic (Australia).
Top-ranked players Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus), Iga Swiatek (Poland) and Coco Gauff (USA) headline the star-studded cast of the Miami Open that also features the stacked men’s division led by Serbian ace Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, Alexander Zverev of Germany and Russian Daniil Medvedev. — John Bryan Ulanday
