Alex Eala named PH top athlete for 2025

Filipina tennis player Alex Eala has been named the Philippines' top athlete for 2025 due to her significant achievements in professional tennis and the Southeast Asian Games.

The 20-year-old sensation had a remarkable WTA season, making a historic run in the Miami Open as a wild card entry by defeating Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek en route to the semifinals.

Her sensational campaign was enough for her to make it to the WTA's top 100.

Eala concluded her year by serving as the flag bearer and winning a gold medal in women's singles, along with two bronze medals at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, becoming the first Filipina SEAG champion since Maricris Fernandez in 1999.

She entered the year ranked 158th in the world and started her season with a semifinal exit in the Canberra International, followed by a first-round qualifier ouster in the Australian Open, a second-round qualifier departure in the Singapore Tennis Open, and a Round-of-16 elimination in the L&T Mumbai Open.

The year also saw the return of Manny Pacquiao to the boxing ring, delivering an impressive performance despite his long layoff.