Alexandra “Alex” Eala received messages of support from Coco Gauff and Victoria Mboko following her impressive Southeast Asian Games campaign in Thailand. On Friday, Eala shared photos from her stint at the Games with the caption, “Para sa Pilipinas at para sa Pilipino.”
World No. 3 Coco Gauff commented, “Congratulations,” while world No. 18 Victoria Mboko added, “Oh yeahhh.” Their encouragement highlighted the camaraderie among young tennis stars across the globe.
Medals for the Philippines
Eala delivered a strong performance at the biennial event, winning three medals for the Philippines. She claimed gold in women’s singles, bronze in mixed doubles alongside Francis Casey Alcantara, and another bronze in the team competition. Her achievements added to the Philippines’ medal tally and showcased her growing influence in the sport.
A historic year for Eala
The SEA Games success capped off a breakthrough year for the 20-year-old. In September, she won her first WTA 125 title in Guadalajara, and later entered the WTA Top 100 for the first time in her career. These milestones, combined with her regional triumphs, mark 2025 as a defining year in her rise on the international tennis stage.
With her confidence boosted by both her SEA Games medals and support from peers like Gauff and Mboko, Eala is poised to continue her upward trajectory. Her performances suggest she is ready to challenge higher-ranked players and further establish herself as one of the most promising talents in women’s tennis.
Victoria Mboko in 2025
Now ranked no.18 (career-high), Victoria played her last match on the 21st of December when she beat world no.51 Cristina Bucsa 7-5 6-7(9) 6-2 in the final in Hong Kong to win her 2nd career title.
Until now, during this year Victoria achieved a 62-14 record. Mboko has won 7 titles in 2025 in the W35 Le Lamentin, the Bourg, the W75 Rome, the W35 Manchester, the W75 Porto, Montreal and Hong Kong. The Canadian got to the final in the Parma.
Cori Gauff in 2025
Currently ranked no.3, the American played her last match on the 6th of November when she beat world no.8 Jasmine Paolini 6-3 6-2 in the round robin in Riyadh (draw).
This year the American has achieved a compiled 48-16 match record. Coco clinched 3 titles in 2025 in Australia, French Open and Wuhan. The American was the finalist in Madrid and Rome.
Victoria Mboko and Cori Gauff faced off just twice. Their head to head is 1-1.
