Manila’s hosting of the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open (PWO) that ended Sunday earned rave reviews from the leadership of Philippine Tennis Association (Philta).

No less than Philta secretary general John Rey Tiangco expressed gratitude to the Philippine Sports Commission under chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio, who moved heaven and earth in welcoming home tennis sensation Alex Eala and a bevy of top foreign players at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

“Thank you very much and congratulations to (PSC) chairman (Gregorio) for your leadership, commitment and unwavering support. The entire tennis community is truly grateful to you and your incredible team,” Tiangco, also the Navotas City mayor, said at the close of the first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 event in the country.

A former national tennis standout, the Philta executive added that “everyone is in disbelief and awe, not only at the transformation in Rizal but also a successful hosting of a world-class WTA event, all accomplished in just 45 days!”

With the international event sanctioned by the WTA coming to a close yesterday, Tiangco noted that “what’s exciting is that people now want to be part of something bigger, something that they’ve been waiting for a long time.”

“Let’s continue riding this momentum and achieve even greater milestones for our athletes and Philippine tennis,” he said.

Even with Eala exiting earlier than expected, the PWO was a great hit with local fans, who still packed the venue for the singles final.

The finalists, Croatia’s Donna Vekic and Colombia’s Camila Osorio, also gave their own glowing testimonies on how they were well-treated and cited the superb operations of the competition.

“If you feel good, you play good. I have been feeling very good since we got here. The organization has been amazing. The crowd has been amazing. I am having some fun with my coach here,” Vekic said the other day.

“For sure, we’ve had nothing but a good time,” she added.

As well-traveled as her Croatian foe on the WTA tour, Osorio also raved about the first-class treatment she got, rating it “A solid 8 or 9. It is pretty tight. To be honest, for a WTA 125 tournament, I would rate it a 10.”

The Colombian admitted being sorely tempted in indulging in the delicious and delectable food that organizers were offering, but decided to hold it off until after her title match with the Croatian.

“All those desserts look yummy. Especially the salted caramel cake, which I will definitely try once my match with Vekic is over,” the player, smiling sweetly, said.