The Philippines’ Alexa Milliam showed her mettle against WTA No. 54 Janice Tjen in the quarterfinals of women’s singles in the SEA Games 2025.
BANGKOK — Alexa Milliam has gained valuable experience and then some as she competed in her first-ever SEA Games in Thailand, where she joined multiple events including team, women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
Coming off of a stellar campaign in her first year of US NCAA Division II tennis with University of West Alabama, Milliam rode that momentum with a competitive streak against older and more experienced players in the SEA Games.
On Monday, Milliam held her ground before falling in straight sets against World No. 54 Janice Tjen of Indonesia, 6-3, 6-4, in the women’s singles quarterfinal.
Despite falling short of a medal in singles, she was happy to be able to put her best foot forward for Team Philippines.
“Sobrang nabigay ko naman po yung best ko and then unfortunately nakalaro yung Seed 2 and 53 (sic) in the World Rankings. Sobrang laking experience po yun at saka grabe yung kumpiyansa ko kasi ganda rin po ng laro,” Milliam told One Sports after her match.
The National Freshman of the Year with UWA not only gained experience from her opponents, but also from her teammates, with World No. 53 Alex Eala, whom she trains with on a regular basis when they’re with the national team.
Having faced Tjen before, Eala was also able to give Milliam some tips which worked to an extent, as the younger Filipina was able to play at pace with the higher ranked opponent.
“She just said good luck to me and nilaban ko naman po yung laro ko,” she said.
Betting on herself
Heading back into another year of college tennis, Milliam is optimistic that her whole SEA Games experience will push her into a positive direction.
Impressing in her rookie year campaign which included an undefeated streak in women’s singles, the 20-year-old is oozing with self confidence to close out her campaign in the biennial meet.
“Mataas na po ngayon yung kumpiyansa ko kasi na-experience ko maglaro sa mga top 53 (sic) in the world and then teammate ka rin yung top 50 in the world,” she said.
“So grabe yung confidenta po yung mabigay ko,” she added.
Milliam though was unable to add to her medal haul on Tuesday, December 16, as she and partner Shaira Rivera fell in the women's doubles quarterfinals against Indonesia.
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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.