The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) had nothing but praise for the country’s recent hosting of the Philippine Women’s Open (PWO).

WTA supervisor Cristina Romero said despite the competition being at a 125 level, it was able to draw a huge crowd even without top Filipino star Alex Eala in the championship round.

The final between Camila Osorio of Colombia and Donna Vekic of Croatia had a jam-packed crowd at Center Court of the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

“We saw the crowd that was super interested in the tournament from day one, since the qualifying. We had a huge number of people coming every day,” Romero said.

“We understand that Alex Eala brought a lot of attention to the community, to the people to come and see matches. But she was not the only one who enjoyed the huge crowd, and that shows that the fans of the Philippines are ready to come and enjoy tennis.”

“In Asia Pacific, we are lacking in tournaments and I think it’s a great opportunity also to develop tennis in the region. So it’s a great turnout.”

Philippine Lawn Tennis Association secretary general John Rey Tiangco said going beyond the minimum requirements set by the WTA worked in their favor.

The Rizal Memorial Tennis Center can accommodate up to 2,000 spectators, more than double the WTA required at 750.

“We’re happy with the turnout and we like to thank everyone for being part of history,” said Tiangco, a former national team player.

“I think that’s one of our advantages. Those were the minimum standards supervised by the WTA. We went above and beyond and the hospitality of the Filipinos was exceptional.”

Osorio, the inaugural women’s singles champion, was in awe playing in the Philippines for the first time in her career.

“I’m super, super happy and honored to be here in the Philippines for the first time and to be in front of all of you guys. It’s been such a pleasure to play here,” Osorio said.