WTA 250 event goes to Manila

The Women’s Tennis Association added another major international event to the country’s growing tennis calendar as it holds a WTA 250 tournament in late October or early November next year.

Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) secretary general John Rey Tiangco confirmed that the WTA 250 will be staged separately from the Philippine Women’s Tennis Open, which is a WTA 125 tournament that is scheduled for January.

The venue for the new WTA 250 has yet to be announced as of press time.

“To clarify, we won’t be replacing the 125. We will still have the WTA 125 in January,” said Tiangco, who is Nagoya, Japan supporting the campaign of world No. 18 Alex Eala in the Asian Games.

“We’re happy to announce and confirm late last night we threshed out some details with our franchise holder of WTA 250. We’re going to have WTA 250 next year, 2027, late October, early November.”

International tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg reported that the Manila tournament will be a relocation of the WTA 250 event previously held in Chennai, India.

Organized by Philta with the all-out support by the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Women’s Tennis Open was a resounding success, prompting the WTA to hold an upgraded event in the country to capture the growing tennis market that was made possible by the popularity of Eala.

Eala failed to make it past the quarterfinals of the Philippine Women’s Tennis Open, but it left an indelible mark in the memory of Filipino fans.

Eala’s quarterfinal tormentor, world No. 66 Camila Osorio of Colombia, won the event over Croatian powerhouse Donna Vekic, who captured the hearts of Filipino that earned her the nickname “Tita Donna.”

Philta board member Dyan Castillejo said the addition of another WTA event would provide another boost to the local tennis scene, particularly for Filipino players who can gain exposure against international competition.

“This tournament is such a big boost to our local athletes who also have a chance to compete against the world’s best in tennis,” Castillejo said.

The Philippine Women’s Tennis Open also featured young Filipinos Tenny Madis and Stefi Aludo, who are set to continue their development at the University of Hawaii.

Castillejo said the country will now have two WTA tournaments on its calendar, with the 125 event taking place in January before the new 250 tournament later in the year.