The inaugural WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open was successfully held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila from January 26 to 31, 2025. The week-long event aimed to bring professional women’s tennis to the Philippines, drawing hundreds of fans to witness the top-level tennis competition of international players and homegrown talents.
The Battle of Filipina Players
Filipina ace Alex Eala was the main headliner of the Philippine Women’s Open, along with young tennis players Tennielle Madis, Kaye Ann Emana, and Elizabeth Abarquez, who participated in the event.
Tennielle Madis and Elizabeth Abarquez exited in their first round of the Philippine Women’s Open, with Madis falling short 4-6,0-6 to Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew and Abarquez bowing out 0-6,0-6 to Japan’s Mai Hontama. The players showed grit and competitiveness in their games despite their early loss.
The singles campaign for Kaye Emana concluded in the Round of 32 after being defeated 1-6, 0-6 against Russian player Tatiana Prozorova. Meanwhile, her doubles journey with Justine Maneja ended abruptly in 2-6, 2-6 during the opening match against the duo Nicole Fossa Huergo from Argentina and Darja Semenistaja from Latvia.
As the last Filipina standing, Alex Eala powered through the early stages of the Philippine Women’s Open until she made it into the quarterfinals. However, her tournament bid came to an end in 4-6,4-6 after a hard-fought quarterfinal battle against Camila Osorio of Colombia, who eventually advanced to the finals to face the seasoned Croatian tennis player Donna Vekić.
WTA 125 Finals
The final round was an epic showdown filled with electrifying rallies and heart-stopping action as Colombia’s Camila Osorio and Croatia’s Donna Vekić faced off to chase the championship title on January 31, 2026.
Vekić started strong and dominated the first set in 6-2. Osorio fought back 6-3 in the second set with her resilience and aggression. With scores tied 5-5 at the gripping third set, she unleashed a match-point ace, outlasting Vekić and sealing the 7-5 victory.
Camila Osorio was declared the very first Philippine Women’s Open Champion. Before her championship, she battled through the early rounds, beating Hosogi, Hontama, Eala, and then dominating Sierra in the semis to secure her spot in the finals.
Beyond the much-awaited triumph in the tournament, the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open served as a landmark event to further elevate professional tennis in the country and to provide a gateway for emerging players to become more visible in the globally competitive scene.