THAILAND—Team Philippines turned in a rousing Thursday in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, highlighted by historic gold-medal triumphs from Alex Eala in women’s singles tennis and the Blu Boys in men’s softball, complemented by a stunning breakthrough gold from Michael Ver Comaling in modern pentathlon.
Eala delivered one of the day’s biggest moments after dismantling Thai home bet Mananchaya Sawangkaew, 6-1, 6-2, at the National Tennis Development Center to capture her first SEA Games gold.
The world No. 52 became the country’s first women’s singles champion since Maricris Fernandez-Gentz in 1999.
“To end the year on this high is such an amazing thing,” said Eala after closing her SEA Games campaign with one gold and two bronzes from the mixed doubles and team events.
The 20-year-old overcame both pressure and controversial line calls in the second set, staying composed to pull away from a determined Sawangkaew and seal the title in emphatic fashion.
In Bangkok, the Philippine Blu Boys reclaimed regional supremacy in men’s softball, shutting out Singapore, 3-0, in the final at Queen Sirikit Baseball Stadium.
Left-hander Jehanz Maristela Coro was dominant, striking out 17 batters in a two-hit masterpiece as the Filipinos avenged their 2019 title loss to the same rivals.
Justine Rosales’ solo homer in the first inning and Lyonas de Leon’s two-run single in the fourth provided all the offense Coro needed as the Blu Boys secured the country’s ninth gold overall in the event.
The Blu Girls, meanwhile, remained on track for an 11th women’s softball gold and face Singapore again on Friday.
Adding to the golden haul, Comaling delivered a breakthrough performance in modern pentathlon, ruling the men’s individual triathle by clocking 14:10—18 seconds clear of Indonesia’s Farras Satrio Aris Sugianto—to give the Philippines its 41st gold medal of the games.
Basketball also gave Filipino fans plenty to cheer about as both Gilas Pilipinas and Gilas Women marched into their respective finals, keeping alive the country’s hopes in the sport that matters most to basketball-crazy Filipinos.
The defending champion Gilas Pilipinas survived a furious late rally by Indonesia to pull off a tense 71-68 victory in the men’s basketball semifinals, booking a return trip to the gold-medal match, either against Thailand or Malaysia, which are playing in the other semifinals.
“A win is a win. We’re happy with it. We got a chance to move on to the finals,” said coach Norman Black. “We have to give credit to the other team. They didn’t give up. They kept fighting.”
Earlier in the day at the same venue, Gilas Pilipinas Women also advanced to the finals after dispatching Indonesia, 66-55, behind another dominant all-around showing from Kacey dela Rosa, who posted 21 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and four blocks.
Elsewhere, the Philippines collected valuable silvers. The mixed relay team of Erika Burgos, Maynard Pecson, Merry Joy Trupa, and Franklin Ferdie Yee salvaged second place in the duathlon at Laem Mae Phim Beach, clocking 1:35:35 after running as low as fourth mid-race. Trupa delivered the fastest third leg, while Yee anchored strongly with the second-best closing time.
The men’s chess team also settled for another silver, bowing to host Thailand in the Makruk Team Men’s Doubles Standard final. Despite the loss, head coach Eugene Torre praised the Filipinos’ effort.
“Well, laro talaga ito ng Thailand. Ibang variation na ito ng chess kaya iba ang labanan,” said Torre. “To me, parang naka-first place na din uli tayo kahit silver lang. Among the (Southeast Asian) countries and players, tayo talaga ang nagsisikap na ma-perfect this kind of game. Maganda na rin ‘yung performance ng Philippines.”
