MAKING it rain in Manila, Camila Osorio ruled the court to clinch the first-ever WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open title on Saturday night.
The Colombian standout capped a historic run at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Stadium by stunning Croatia’s Donna Vekic, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, sealing the crown fittingly with an ace on match point.
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Despite a slow start, it was Camila ruling over Manila in the end.
Osorio saved her best for last, surviving a nerve-racking third set before breaking away at 5-all to steal the decider.
The second set swung firmly in her favor earlier, as she jumped to a 3-0 lead and kept Vekic chasing in a brisk 6-3 turnaround that shifted the match’s momentum.
The final lasted two hours and 32 minutes, a fitting grind for the tournament’s inaugural champion.
Osorio’s title march also included the ouster of Filipino crowd favorite Alex Eala in the quarterfinals, silencing the home crowd but underscoring her poise under pressure throughout the week.
After knocking down the second-seeded Eala, Osorio also defeated another seeded netter in the third-ranked Solana Sierra to set-up the duel with the fourth-seeded Vekic in the finals.
In the rounds of 32 and 16, respectively, she also turned back Japanese players Mai Hontama and Sakura Hosogi.
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Osorio capped her Manila breakthrough in style, walking away with the trophy, $15,500 in prize money, and a Philippine custom bolero blouse to mark her winning debut.
Emotions poured out during her post-match speech as she took in the moment.
“I have no words to describe im super super happy and honored to be here for the first time. Its been such a pleasure,” Osorio said.
She also made sure to acknowledge her final-round opponent, turning to Vekic with words of respect and sportsmanship.
“Wish you and your team hopefully we can play many more times in the future,” she added.
In doubles action, the Asian tandem of Hong Kong’s Eudice Chong and En-Shuo Liang of Chinese Taipei captured the event’s first-ever doubles title on Friday night.
They outlasted Americans Quinn Gleason and Fil-Am Sabrina Santamaria, 2-6, 6(2)-7, 10-6, in a thrilling match tiebreak finish.
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