Alexandra Eala took home her very first SEA Games gold medal to close the chapter on her superb 2025 season.
Eala defeated Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand to confirm the top medal for the Philippines at the Nonthaburi games.
Filipino icons have reached out to Eala following her landmark success, which also saw her claim bronze in the doubles.
Some of the biggest stars on the WTA Tour, Coco Gauff and Victoria Mboko, have also reached out to Eala following her win.
Coco Gauff and Victoria Mboko congratulate Alexandra Eala
On Instagram, Eala posted a picture with her gold medal alongside the caption: “For the Philippines and for the Filipinos. I will go home with souvenirs in town.”
The post has been liked over 200,000 times and it’s garnered some very high profile comments from the likes of Gauff and Mboko.
What could stop Alexandra Eala from finishing 2026 inside the top 20?
Gauff wrote: “Congratulations” with a heart emoji, while Mboko commented: Oh yeah” with a diamond emoji attached.
Gauff and Eala are yet to meet on the WTA Tour, but the Filipino did play Mboko in one of the best matches of 2025.
The two met in a thrilling three-set collision at the Hong Kong Open, which narrowly went the way of Mboko.
Alexandra Eala’s doubles partnership with Coco Gauff
It’s no surprise that Gauff sent a message to Eala as the pair have previously played doubles together at the 2025 Italian Open.
How high do you think Alexandra Eala’s ceiling is?
The pair won two matches as they reached the quarter-finals, but they lost out to eventual winners Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.
The American was full of praise for her doubles partner after their foray into the format at the Masters event.
She said: “She’s a killer in doubles — two junior slams, and probably future ones too. I’m super happy to play with her.”
