By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Philippine sports capped a landmark 2025 led by the rise of tennis star Alexandra “Alex” Eala, whose breakthrough season set the tone for a year defined by historic wins, record-breaking performances and expanding global relevance.

Eala emerged as the country’s most accomplished athlete of the year after delivering a career-defining run on the WTA Tour.

The 20-year-old Negros Occidental’s Victorias City native stunned the tennis world at the Miami Open, defeating a string of higher-ranked opponents that included then World’s No. 2 Iga Swiatek.

Her performance propelled her into the WTA Top 100 for the first time, a feat never before achieved by a Filipina player.

Building on that momentum, Eala captured her first WTA 125 title and later claimed gold in women’s singles at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, ending a 26-year title drought for Philippine women’s tennis.

Her season marked a watershed moment for the sport in the country and opened doors to sustained participation on tennis’ biggest stages.

Medal haul

Beyond tennis, Philippine sports continued to post notable gains across multiple disciplines.

Olympic champion Carlos Yulo reinforced his status as the country’s premier gymnast by winning gold in the vault at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and adding a bronze medal in the floor exercise.

His younger brother, Karl Eldrew Yulo, also made waves with multiple podium finishes at the Junior World Championships, highlighting growing depth in the program.

Team Philippines’ progress was further underscored at the SEA Games in Thailand, where several long-standing barriers were broken.

The women’s national football team secured its first-ever SEA Games gold medal, ending the dominance of regional powers Vietnam and Thailand.

The women’s beach volleyball team likewise captured its maiden gold, while 11-year-old skateboarder Mazel Alegado became the youngest Filipino gold medalist in SEA Games history.

Swimming, softball, wushu, boxing, and basketball also contributed to the country’s medal haul.

Kayla Sanchez led a strong showing in the pool, the Blu Girls softball team extended its regional dominance, Agatha Wong added to her decorated wushu career, and Eumir Marcial delivered the Philippines’ lone boxing gold.

Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams completed championship runs to secure gold medals.

Winter sports reached a new milestone as the Philippine curling team won the country’s first-ever gold medal at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin.

The team upset South Korea in the final and later came close to qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics, signaling growing competitiveness in a non-traditional discipline.

In professional boxing, eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao returned from retirement to challenge Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title in Las Vegas. Pacquiao went the distance in a closely contested bout that ended in a majority draw, prompting the boxing icon to signal a return to the ring in 2026.

Historic moments

Volleyball also delivered historic moments, with Alas Pilipinas scoring the country’s first win over a traditional power after upsetting Egypt in the FIVB Men’s World Championship.

In the domestic scene, the Petro Gazz Angels ruled both the 2025-2026 All-Filipino and 2026 Reinforced Conferences of the Premier Volleyball League, while the PLDT High Speed Hitters topped the On Tour and Invitational Conferences.

At the collegiate level, De La Salle University reclaimed the UAAP men’s basketball title by defeating the University of the Philippines in a three-game final series, while San Beda University swept Colegio de San Juan de Letran to regain the NCAA crown.

University of Santo Tomas also returned to the top by winning the UAAP women’s basketball championship.

In professional leagues, TNT Tropang 5G captured the Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup titles in the PBA, while the San Miguel Beermen denied TNT a Grand Slam by winning the Philippine Cup.

Meanwhile, the Abra Solid North Weavers completed a near-perfect campaign to claim the MPBL championship.

Billiards remained a Philippine stronghold as Carlo Biado became the first Filipino to win the World 9-Ball Championship twice, defeating reigning champion Fedor Gorst to add another milestone to his career.

As 2025 draws to a close, the breadth and consistency of these achievements reflect a sporting landscape no longer reliant on isolated triumphs, but anchored on sustained excellence — led by Alex Eala’s emergence on the global stage./ASC, WDJ