SEA Games 2025 silver medalist Mananchaya Sawangkaew had nothing but good things to say about Philippines’ no. 2 Tennielle Madis after their first-round match in the Philippine Women’s Open.
Filipino tennis player Tennielle Madis drew the praise of Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawagnkaew after their first-round encounter in the Philippine Women's Open on Monday.
It was the second meeting for both players in as many months, after also facing each other in the SEA Games 2025 last December.
While she won both matches, Sawangkaew said that she was tested by Madis and the young Filipina has grown tremendously since their previous showdown.
[RELATED: Tennielle Madis exits Philippine Women’s Open after valiant effort against Thai foe]
“I played against her in the SEA Games last time, so this time, she played much better,” Sawangkaew admitted after her 6-4, 6-0 win in the Philippine Women's Open.
In the opener, Madis showed tremendous promise when she started ahead, 2-0.
With the 18-year-old Filipina also later forced a 4-4 tie before eventually dropping the set and match, and Sawangkaew noted that Madis has the potential to grow in to a more successful player.
“She improved a lot [in] her game, and then I can feel [that] she can be a good player in the future,” Sawangkaew said.
The Thai player was left in awe, not just of Madis’ talent, but also of the overall feel of the tournament.
As a fellow Southeast Asian player, Sawangkaew was delighted to see that tennis has continued to grow in this side of the world.
“It's a beautiful crowd here and people come to support Southeast Asia a lot and then also for everyone in this tournament, so it's good to see everyone to come to support here,” she said.
Learning experience
Though her journey in the singles draw was cut short, Madis did relish being able to learn tennis from the best players in the region.
Apart from practicing with the likes of Eala and Fil-Am player Mia Horvit, Madis also learned a lot from her competition — most importantly against Sawangkaew, where she saw a direct improvement in her game after a worse outing during the SEA Games.
Now that she’s grown through rigorous training in preparation for the Philippine Women’s Open, the only way to go for Madis is up.
“First of all, it's an honor to play against [Mananchaya]. She's a good and experienced player. All I can say is that it's a great learning and opportunity for me to play with her,” Madis said.
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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.