Tennis superstar Alex Eala has no problems playing two matches in a day for Team Philippines at the Southeast Asian Games.
BANGKOK — Stamina is the name of the game for Alex Eala as she vies for medals in both the women’s singles and mixed doubles in the SEA Games 2025 here in Thailand, hoping to add to the Philippines’ growing medal haul.
While athletes may slow down if they get too busy in their competitions, Eala thrives off of her hard work and has always been ready to recover swiftly to make the most of her time on the court.
On Monday, December 15, Eala played twice and only had a match played in between her women’s singles quarterfinal and her mixed doubles stint with teammate Niño Alcantara. She won both matches with relative ease.
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For her, it was not really a big deal to do what she did in just a short amount of time.
“I said before na sanay naman kami. That's just kind of the life of tennis players and it's, you know, we're built for it,” Eala said after the match.
Fortunately for the 20-year-old, she’ll only have one game on Tuesday, her women’s semifinal match against Thailand’s Thasaporn Naklo for a chance to get into the gold medal match and ensure an improved performance from her last SEA Games.
A different Eala
On the topic of growth, Eala said that years removed after her first SEA Games and her last multi-sport event with Team Philippines, there have been lots of changes.
With 2025 bringing tremendous growth for the WTA No. 53, the Rafa Nadal Academy scholar has the ability to impact the national team more than she’s ever had before. When it comes to doubles in particular, she said that she feels like she’s gotten better as a partner.
“I think I've personally have grown quite a bit since the last Asian Games, which is when we last played together. [I] matured both on court and off court, so I hope that that gives Kuya Nins a little bit more, you know, a little bit more wiggle room,” Eala admitted.
“And, you know, I feel very comfortable in the partnership because I've known him for so long.”
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Eala and Alcantara used their chemistry built on years of working together to trounce Singaporean foes Wei Lin Choo and Daniel Abadia, 6-4, 6-3.
The SEA Games 2025 tennis tournament is expected to run until December 19 with all matches happening at the National Tennis Development Center in Nonthaburi.
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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.