Nonthaburi, Thailand – Alex Eala and Niño Alcantara fought valiantly but ultimately settled for a bronze medal in the SEA Games 2025 tennis mixed doubles competition after a hard-fought semifinal loss to home favorites Patcharin Cheapchandej and Pawit Sornlaksup.
The Filipino duo succumbed to the Thai pair in a thrilling three-set match, 7-5, 5-7, 7-10, at the National Tennis Development Center on Wednesday.
After narrowly winning the opening set, Eala and Alcantara struggled to maintain their momentum, dropping the second set and ultimately falling short in the decisive tiebreaker.
Cheapchandej and Sornlaksup’s victory set up an all-Thailand final against Pruchya Isaro and Peangtarn Plipuech, who defeated Indonesia in the other semifinal match. This marks Eala and Alcantara’s second SEA Games bronze medal together, mirroring their third-place finish in Vietnam.
Despite the mixed doubles defeat, Eala remains in contention for a gold medal in the women’s singles competition. The 20-year-old tennis ace secured her spot in the final after defeating home bet Thasaporn Naklo in the semifinal, 6-1, 6-4.
Eala will face Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the final on Thursday, with a chance to win her first-ever SEA Games gold medal. Eala’s presence in the women’s singles gold medal match marks the first time a Filipino tennis player has reached this stage since Anna Clarice Patrimonio’s silver medal performance in the 2017 Kuala Lumpur edition.
