Alex Eala will begin her quest for a gold medal in women’s singles at the SEA Games 2025 against Malaysia’s Shihomi Leong.
NONTHABURI — Alex Eala will be plunging back into action for Team Philippines as she begins her singles campaign at the SEA Games 2025 in Nonthaburi, Thailand on Monday, December 15.
Eala, who did not play in the team joust, will be going up against Malaysia’s Shihomi Leong in the quarterfinals of the women’s singles event.
As the no. 1 seed, the 20-year-old received a bye in the Round of 16, earning her an extra day of rest.
The Filipina is the highest-ranked WTA player in the competition, followed closely by Indonesia’s Janice Tjen. The two are on the opposite sides of the bracket and will only meet if they both make the gold medal game.
Eala is WTA world no. 52, while Tjen is ranked 53rd.
For women’s coach Denise Dy, Eala’s preparation has been good, which has further amped up expectations on the rising star’s performance.
“She had a great training week this past week and the past few days and I think it's going to be a competitive field with not only Janice [Tjen] but we can't count out the two Thai players on the draw as well,” Dy said.
“At the end of the day, it's tennis and anything can happen but I think she's hitting the ball very well and she's definitely a lot rested in her Asian circuit series this past couple of weeks. I think she's ready to go and she's really, really excited and motivated to do well in the games,” she added.
Coincidentally, Dy is a two-time SEA Games gold medalist herself.
Though all eyes will be on her singles event, Eala will also be playing in mixed doubles alongside Niño Alcantara.
Like in singles, Eala and Alcantara received a bye in the Round of 16 and will face the winner of the match between Indonesia’s Ignatius Susanto and Meydiana Reinnamah, and Singapore’s Daniel Abadia and Wei Choo also on Monday.
As it stands, Eala already has a bronze medal under her belt here at the SEA Games 2025 thanks to the team event.
Despite not seeing action, Eala was listed in Dy’s roster for the women’s team which earned her the recognition alongside her teammates Shaira Rivera, Alexa Milliam, Tennielle Madis, and Stefi Aludo.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.