Filipino fans leave imprint in WTA 125 event
The recent Philippine Women’s Open wasn’t just about Alex Eala; it was also about how the landscape of tennis in the country was changed by the WTA 125 event.
Camila Osorio of Colombia was the first champion, pulling out a win over Croat Donna Vekic, who was adopted by the home fans as one of their own after Eala exited in the quarterfinals.
Osorio, who has won WTA events hosted by Colombia, finally got her first-ever title outside her country after outlasting Vekic in a classic final, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
And while a WTA title remained elusive for the 29-year-old Vekic, it was a tournament worth remembering for her.
“I think the crowd support has been the best. I had a lot of fun playing out there in front of everyone,” Vekic said after the loss. “(The crowd was) pushing us today to give our best and push ourselves to the limit.”
Vekic has lost to Eala twice, in the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand and in the Kooyong Classic exhibition. She was in awe of the Filipinos’ support for Eala and wanted the Philippines to adopt her.
From her first game until the end, the Filipinos treated the 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist like their home bet and even started calling her “Tita Donna.”
“I didn’t expect this much, to be honest,” she said. “I knew they love tennis. I knew the atmosphere was going to be great. I’m happy that they’re cheering for me also.”
Osorio, who wore a Filipinas women’s football team kit during her press conference after her semifinal win, was also showered with love by the home crowd even after she knocked out Eala in the final eight, 6-4, 6-4.
The Colombian called the tournament ‘a fairytale finish’ as she still felt at home with the support from the crowd.
“Obviously, I had a tough start to the year, so winning this match means a lot to me,” Osorio said. “Also being the first time here, it’s unreal and basically a fairytale for me.”
Osorio expressed her gratitude to the host country after winning the tournament.
“Thank you, Manila. My heart is yours,” she wrote. “It means a lot to me because I know how hard I’m working. Thank you, God and everyone, for the support. I always love all the lovely messages you leave.”
Vekic admitted it’s tough to process the result of the title match, but the most important thing for her was the experience she had with the Filipinos.
“I really enjoyed my week here. I played five great matches and even though I lost today, I’m going to take a lot of positives out of this week,” she said.
