ASEAN Athlete Spotlight: Alex Eala Ends 26-Year Gold Drought, Wins Historic Women’s Singles Gold at 2025 SEA Games
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Philippines Sport Golden Girl Alex Eala Delivers Historic SEA Games 2025 Gold, Ending 26-Year Drought for Philippine Tennis
BANGKOK, Thailand — Philippine tennis history was rewritten as Alex Eala delivered a long-awaited breakthrough, capturing the women’s singles gold medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games and ending a 26-year gold drought for the country in the event.
Draped in the Philippine flag atop the podium, the Filipina tennis ace summed up the moment with heartfelt pride.
“Para sa Pilipinas at para sa Pilipino. Uuwi akong may pasalubong sa bayan,” Eala wrote on social media, a message that resonated with fans across the nation.
Alex Eala SEA Games 2025: A Golden Moment for Philippine Tennis
Eala dominated Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the women’s singles final, cruising to a 6–1, 6–2 victory despite a partisan home crowd. The win marked Eala’s first SEA Games gold medal and solidified her status as the golden girl of Philippine sports.
This achievement is especially significant as the last time the Philippines won gold in women’s singles tennis at the SEA Games was in 1999, courtesy of Maricris Fernandez. Eala also became the first Filipina to reach the gold medal match since Clarice Patrimonio’s silver finish in 2017, further cementing her place in national sporting history.
Composure and Class on the Biggest Stage
Ranked world No. 53, Eala showed poise under pressure early in the match, escaping a 0–40 deficit in the opening game before taking control. She dismantled Sawangkaew’s defenses in the first set and calmly handled a brief resurgence in the second, closing out the match with authority.
Her performance highlighted the maturity and consistency that have defined Eala’s rise on the international tennis stage.
A Medal Haul to Remember at the 33rd SEA Games
The SEA Games 2025 gold medal is Eala’s sixth overall SEA Games medal and her third medal in the 33rd edition in Bangkok, after earlier claiming bronze medals in the women’s team and mixed doubles events.
These results underscore her versatility and value to Philippine tennis, contributing across multiple events and delivering when it mattered most.
From SEA Games Glory to WTA History
Eala’s SEA Games triumph comes on the heels of another career-defining milestone. Just months earlier, she captured the Philippines’ first-ever WTA title, winning the WTA 125 Guadalajara Open in September 2025. In that final, she staged a stirring comeback against Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, prevailing 1–6, 7–5, 6–3.
Together, these victories signal a new era for Philippine tennis, with Eala leading the charge on both regional and global stages.
Philippines SEA Games Medal Standings 2025
As of December 18 at 9:00 AM, the Philippine Sports Commission reported that the Philippines sits sixth overall in the SEA Games medal standings, tallying 213 total medals:
38 gold, 55 silver, 120 bronze
Eala’s historic gold stands out as one of the brightest highlights of the national campaign.
A Legacy Still in the Making
At just 19, Alex Eala continues to break barriers and inspire a new generation of Filipino athletes. By ending a decades-long drought and delivering gold on one of Southeast Asia’s biggest stages, she has not only made history—but also raised expectations for what Philippine tennis can achieve next.
Indeed, para sa Pilipinas, Alex Eala’s golden run is only just beginning. #ASEANSport #SEAGames2025 #Tennis