Manila, Philippines, December 3, 2025: Rising tennis star Alex Eala has been named as a Philippines flag-bearer for 2025 SEA Games Opening Ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand on December 9.
The announcement was made by Philippines Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino on Tuesday, December 2, who confirmed Eala was chosen alongside men’s volleyball player Bryan Bagunas.
“Popularity aside, Alex and Bryan have made impacts in the global sports community and that makes them the best choice to carry the flag in the SEA Games,” Tolentino said.
The Philippines will send its largest-ever delegation to a SEA Games with the athlete squad expected to number more than a thousand athletes across 50 sports. The delegation had an official send-off at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum last week.
Eala, 20, has enjoyed a bumper year. In November, she entered the top 50 of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, making her the highest-ranked Filipino in tour history. She also became the first Filipina to win a match in the US Open women’s singles main draw. Earlier in the season, she claimed her first WTA title in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The December 9-20 SEA Games in Bangkok, Chonburi and Songkhla Provinces will mark Eala’s return to the regional competition between 11 Southeast Asian countries. She last competed at the SEA Games three years ago in Hanoi, where she won three bronze medals across women’s singles, mixed doubles, and the women’s team event.
