Manila: The country's top female tennis players will share center stage with global stars in the Philippine Women's Open set Jan. 26 to 31 at Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila. Aside from Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Alexandra Eala, who will rise to a career-best No. 49 in the world rankings on Monday, Tenielle Madis has also secured a wild card slot in the main draw.
According to Philippines News Agency, Eala is competing in the Australian Open main draw in Melbourne from Jan. 18 to Feb. 1, alongside Indonesian Janice Tjen, another wild card. The remaining two slots in the Philippine Women's Open will be decided through a playoff featuring seven players: Tiffany Nocos, Stefi Marithe Aludo, Kaye Ann Emana, Elizabeth Abarquez, Justine Hannah Maneja, Ni±a Angeline Alcala, and Joana Victoria Pe±a. The wild card playoff is scheduled from Jan. 12 to 15.
The qualifying rounds of the Philippine Open are scheduled on Jan. 24 and 25. Former world No. 2 and Paris Olympics silver medalist Donna Vecic of Croatia tops the provisional entry list. Meanwhile, the tournament venue has undergone major renovations in preparation for the event, which was organized with Eala in mind. Court 2 has been converted into a Center Court with a seating capacity of up to 2,000, while Courts 4 and 6 will also host matches. The Dacudao covered court and Court 5 will serve as practice courts.
