Alex Eala slayed a giant in world No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 7-6 (2), 7-5, on Friday, March 21 (early Saturday, Philippine time) to advance to the third round of the 2025 Miami Open in Florida.

Eala, who entered the tournament as a wildcard with a world ranking of 140, displayed nerves of steel against the 2017 French Open champion by being aggressive to post her biggest victory so far in her fledgling career.

The 27-year-old Ostapenko dropped six aces throughout the one hour, 53 minute contest, but Eala countered it with strong returns.

It was another stunning victory for the 19-year-old Eala as she was coming off a 6-3, 7-6 (3) upset win over higher-ranked American Katie Volynets in the opening round a few days back.

And an emotional one, too.

After Ostapenko's double-handed backhand went straight to the net, Eala stood motionlessly for a moment, hugging her racket with both hands, before approaching the Latvian and exchanging a warm handshake.

She acknowledged the small but energetic crowd, barely holding her tears, as if she couldn't believe she had survived such a powerful world-class rival.

Even tennis superstar Rafa Nadal congratulated Eala's splendid performance. It can be recalled that Eala studied and trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where she graduated in 2023.

"Congratulations, Alex! What a great win for you and for (Philippines)," Nadal wrote on X.

While Eala hurdled a tough opponent in Ostapenko, her grit will be put to test anew as she next faces another giant in American fifth seed Madison Keys, who hardly broke a sweat in dismantling Elina Avanesyan of Armenia, 6-3, 6-3.

The 30-year-old world No. 5 Keys is riding the crest of an Australian Open title win just last January -- her first Grand Slam in her already productive career. Prior to winning that crown, Keys was a finalist at the 2017 US Open, a semifinalist at the 2018 French Open, a quarterfinalist twice in the Wimbledon.

Though her last tournament at the BNP Paribas Open ended with a semifinal finish after bowing to world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, expects Keys to give Eala a big challenge in the Filipina's young career.