SEAG: Eala-Alcantara mixed doubles tennis tandem settles for bronze

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Alex Eala and Nino Alcantara fell short of a chance to claim the gold medal after losing to Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej and Pawit Sornlaksup, 7-5, 5-7, 7-10, during the mixed doubles tennis event of the ongoing 33rd Southeast Asian Games on Dec. 17, 2025, in Thailand.

With the semifinal loss against the home bets, the Eala-Alcantara pairing settled for the bronze medal once again, a feat she first bagged during the 2023 SEA Games held in Cambodia.

Despite the scorching heat at the National Tennis Development Center in Nonthaburi, Eala and Alcantara still gave their all, snatching the opening set to gain an early edge against the Thais.

Bolstered by Eala’s powerful groundstrokes that set up several net finishes for Alcantara, the Philippine tandem finally stole the momentum when their offense clicked in the most crucial stretch of the first set.

Alcantara managed to score several courageous drop shots that further boosted their confidence, backed by Eala’s booming forehands, which remained a mystery to be solved for the Thai pairing.

However, Cheapchandej and Sornlaksup woke up at the perfect time midway through the second set.

The Thai duo shifted their attack to the net, which somehow neutralized Eala’s shot-making prowess when she was stuck throwing groundstrokes from the baseline.

Their adjustment paid off, as Thailand was able to equalize the semis showdown at 1-all, setting up a thrilling tiebreaker round to determine the winner.

Unfortunately, the Thais were still in the zone after picking up where they left off from that Set 2 win, leaving Eala and Alcantara with another third-place finish in the 33rd edition of the SEA Games.

Eala will look to avenge the mixed doubles result when she battles Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the gold medal match of the women’s tennis singles event.