UST's Kaye Emana gets her shot as another Filipina now has the chance to make it to the main draw of the first-ever WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open.
The opportunities continue to pour in for Filipina tennis players ahead of the Philippine Women’s Open, with UAAP Season 87 MVP Kaye Ann Emana of UST getting a wild card to the qualifying draw.
Emana outplayed UAAP rival Elizabeth Abarquez of NU, 7-6(2), 6-2, last Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center to claim the ticket to the qualifying matches of the country’s first WTA event.
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The UST netter repeated over Abarquez in what was a rematch of their UAAP women’s tennis finale last year.
Emana recovered from rain delay and being down 1-4 in the second set of the semifinals against top seed Tiffany Nacos.
But when play resumed, Emana was able to string together five straight game wins to seal her place in the final round.
Then in the winner-take-all match, Emana recovered from a 0-2 start in an extended first set which went into tiebreak.
While getting to the main draw remains a challenge, the UST netter expressed excitement in getting to play in her first WTA-level tournament, even if it was just for the qualifying.
“Thankful po ako and excited to get the wild card (for the Philippine Women’s Open qualifying draw). At kinakabahan din po kasi first time kong makakalaban ang mga mas magagaling na player doon sa qualifying round,” she said.
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Emana joins Fil-Australian Lizette Cabrera in the qualifiers, while youngster Tennielle Madis was given the wild card for the main draw.
Alex Eala was also given a wild card for the main tournament but her participation hinges on her Australian Open performance. Eala starts her Grand Slam campaign on Monday, January 19.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.