Alex Eala to fight for singles gold in SEA Games but not against Janice Tjen

CHONBURI, Thailand – Alex Eala will get a crack at her first Southeast Asian Games crown as she reached the final of the women’s singles after a 6-1, 6-4 win over Thailand’s Thasaporn Naklo on Tuesday, December 16 at the National Tennis Development Centre in Nonthaburi.

Already guaranteed of the silver, the Filipina tennis star has surpassed her bronze finish in the event in the 2021 Vietnam edition and will look to go all the way in the gold-medal match. 

But the final will not feature the highly anticipated clash between Eala and Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, the two highest-ranked WTA players at No. 53 and No. 54, respectively,

Tjen, who has also enjoyed a stellar 2025 like Eala that saw the Indonesian win her first WTA Tour title in the Chennai Open in October, retired from her semifinal match against Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew due to a breathing issue.

Instead, it will be Eala and world No. 240 Sawangkaew who will duke it out in the final scheduled on Thursday, December 18. 

Eala, who fought back from a 0-2 start against Naklo, has a chance to win the Philippines’ first women’s singles gold in SEA Games tennis since Maricris Fernandez-Gentz accomplished the feat in 1999. 

But before her title duel, Eala can advance to the final of another event as she partners with Francis Casey Alcantara in the mixed doubles semifinals on Wednesday, December 17. – Rappler.com