AN official of the WTA was impressed with the country's hosting of the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open with Alex Eala as the headliner.
Even better, the official added that the Philippines seems capable of holding a higher level tournament such as a 250 in the future.
WTA supervisor Cristina Romero said the Philippines passed the hosting with flying colors, and that such event is important to the development of tennis in the region.
“I have done several 125s. I have to say that this has very, very high standards for it. It’s an event that can compete with the 250s in different categories,” she said on Saturday, the final day of the tournament.
Romero noted the turnout of the fans who watched matches even when Eala wasn’t playing and even after her exit is proof that a lot of Filipinos follow the sport.
“I think the most important part is that we also were very welcomed in the Philippines. We saw the crowd that they were so interested in the tournament. Since the qualifying, we had huge amount of people coming everyday," she said.
"We understand that Alex Eala brought a lot of attention to the community and to the people to go out and see the matches. But she was not the only one that enjoyed huge fans. That shows that the fans in the Philippines enjoy tennis. They really like the sport.
“For me, even when the quality of the event is really high and very good, I think the most important part was the welcoming of the fans.”
Not just for the Philippines
Romero said the WTA 125 Manila is important to the Asia Pacific, as the region needs more tournaments.
“As you can see, we have a very good field for players. But also it’s a great opportunity for WTA players to experience tournaments in this region. In the Asia Pacific, we are lacking in tournaments and I think this is a great opportunity to also develop the tennis in the region,” she added.
For his part, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio expressed his intention to host a WTA 250 event that could attract higher-ranked players in the world.
Nonetheless, Romero said the decision to hold a WTA 250 event in Manila rests on WTA higher-ups.
“This is something that is decided by my superiors. Of course, with my feedback of the tournament and how the organization did a great event, that could help of course, to know that the Philippines is prepared to do a worldwide event. That is for sure," she said.
"Now, the other thing is that the tournament and the calendar has to be prepared by different people. So that is a decision that comes from the organization, and we will have to see if they have a spot in the calendar to do it.
“But if you are asking if the Philippines would be ready to do a tournament of a higher caliber, then they are.”
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