Golden Glory: Alex Eala Ends 26-Year Drought With Historic SEA Games Gold

NONTHABURI, Thailand—Alex Eala has made history on Thai soil, capturing her first-ever Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medal with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory over Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew this Thursday.

The 20-year-old tennis star’s triumph marks a monumental moment for Philippine sport, as she becomes the first Filipina to win the women’s singles gold since Maricris Fernandez in 1999—ending a 26-year drought for the nation.

Early Grit Defines the Final

While the scoreline suggests a one-sided affair, Eala had to show immense mental fortitude early on. In the second game of the first set, the Filipina found herself facing a daunting 0-40 deficit on her own serve. Refusing to yield, she fought back to win five consecutive points to hold serve and take a 2-0 lead.

This recovery proved to be the turning point, deflating the home crowd and allowing Eala to race through the opening set in under an hour. Though Sawangkaew attempted a fightback in the second set to level it at 2-2, Eala’s clinical baseline play and relentless pace proved too much for the world No. 137.

A Triple Medal Haul

Eala’s singles gold is the jewel of her 2025 campaign. She entered the court this morning following an intensive warm-up, clearly focused on upgrading the bronze she won in the 2021 Vietnam Games. This victory brings her total haul for the 33rd SEA Games to three medals, adding the singles gold to the two bronze medals she secured earlier in the women’s team event and mixed doubles.

With this win, Eala joins an elite group as only the third Filipina in history to conquer the SEA Games singles event, alongside Fernandez and Pia Tamayo (1981).

Photo courtesy: Screenshots from One Sports Youtube Livestream