Alex Eala wins first SEA Games singles gold

NONTHABURI, Thailand — Alexandra “Alex” Eala powered her way to her first Southeast Asian Games gold medal in women’s tennis after a dominant 6-1, 6-2 win over Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the gold medal match on Thursday at the National Tennis Development Center.

The victory ended the Philippines’ 26-year gold medal drought in SEA Games women’s singles tennis and delivered the country’s third SEA Games gold in the event, following Pia Tamayo in 1981 and Maricris Fernandez in 1999.

It was Eala’s first SEA Games gold and her third medal at the 2025 SEA Games after winning two bronze medals earlier in the women’s team event and mixed doubles.

Eala previously settled for bronze in the women’s singles event at the 2021 SEA Games.

Eala became the first Filipina to win the women’s singles gold since Fernandez in 1999, making her only the third Pinay to achieve the feat.

She also became the first to reach the women’s singles gold medal match since Clarice Patrimonio at the 2017 edition of the biennial meet, where Patrimonio took silver in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The world No. 53 Eala recovered from a slow start in the final, storming back in Game 1 after falling behind 0-40 and stealing the frame from her lower-ranked opponent.

Mananchaya, ranked 137th, mounted a fightback in Game 4 to get on the board at 3-1, but Eala still cruised to a 6-1 win in the opening set before closing out the match, 6-2.