Alexandra Eala continued her march towards SEA Games glory on Tuesday, defeating Thai player Naklo Thasaporn in the women’s singles semi-finals.
Eala, who lost out on the WTA Newcomer of the Year award to Victoria Mboko, defeated Thasaporn 6-1, 6-4 and will now face Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the final.
Eala has enjoyed an impressive year on the WTA Tour, becoming the first Filipina in history to break into the top 50.
Winning the Southeast Asian Games would cement Eala as one of the WTA’s brightest stars – someone who could challenge for Grand Slam titles in the future.
How high do you think Alexandra Eala’s ceiling is?
If she defeats Sawangkaew, Eala will make history for the Philippines.
Alexandra Eala could become the first Filipina since 1999 to win the SEA Games Women’s Singles title
History is on the line for Alexandra Eala in the SEA Games Women’s Singles final.
Not since 1999 has a Filipina won the women’s singles title at the biennial event. The last player to do so was Maricris Fernandez, who defeated Indonesia’s Wynne Prakusya to win the title.
If Eala wins the gold medal, she will become only the third Filipina in SEA Games history to win the women’s singles event.
Mananchaya Sawangkaew, her opponent in the final, has won three ITF circuit titles and reached one WTA Challenger final. Sawangkaew achieved a career-high ranking of 100 in June this year but has since fallen to 240.
Eala has participated in the SEA Games once before – in 2021. At the event, held in Vietnam, Eala won the bronze medal in the women’s singles event.
Eala also won bronze medals in the women’s team and mixed doubles categories.
A message from the Rafa Nadal Academy
The academy, where Eala has trained for many years, posted a congratulatory message to Eala following her victory in Asia.
In an Instagram post, a spokesman for the Academy said: “Proud of Alexandra Eala at the SEA Games Thailand 2025.
“Congratulations on reaching the singles final after an outstanding performance throughout the tournament.”
What could stop Alexandra Eala from finishing 2026 inside the top 20?
Eala, who has won two WTA awards for 2025, will hope to end her season on a high note when she contests the SEA Games Women’s Singles Final on Thursday.
