UAAP MVP Kaye Emana was given a rude welcome in the WTA, but valuable lessons still came from her initial stint in the Philippine Women’s Open.
Kaye Emana was able to get the opportunity of a lifetime when she gained a wildcard to the Philippine Women’s Open, surviving the qualifiers set by the Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA).
While her appearance was a quick one-and-done with her straight sets loss to Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova, Emana only had good things to gain the moment she made the main draw.
Heading into her third year of playing with the UST Lady Tennisters in the UAAP, Emana was able to take valuable lessons from her first WTA stint.
“Ginawa ko lang pong mindset is ilaro ko lang po yung laro ko since manalo matalo, may matututunan po ako,” Emana said.
“And, sabay po siya sa season namin, yung preparations ko po is kasama ko lagi yung teammates ko nag mag-gym and palo po. Mas doble nga lang po ngayon kasi may makakalaro akong mga international,” she continued.
Call for consistency
Still, it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine for Emana as she made her first-ever appearance at a WTA event.
With the exception of Alex Eala, all Filipino bets where overwhelmed in the first round of the Philippine Women's Open. As such, Emana preached patience with their own development.
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But with the WTA 125 joust showing the way with what it takes to get to the next level, the UST netter hopes for more similar opportunities in the future.
“Sana laging magka-trainings, seminars, kasi po mahirap po talaga. Lalo na pag walang money, walang budget, tapos pag kayo kayo lang po, mahihirapan talagang mag-improve,” she said.
Emana further said that she hoped for more understanding from Filipino fans.
With Philippine tennis gaining more attention, Emana felt unfairly judged because of her results on a larger platform.
Knowing that her path is different from someone like Eala, the UST bet simply asked for some leeway.
“Sana po lagi magka-training dito po sa Philippines para po may maasahan po na manalo po dito sa WTA. Kasi po nakikita ko po kapag may post na may laban yung Philippines, tulad po kami, kami nila Elsie [Abarquez],” she said.
“Nakikita ko po sa comments na ibang iba daw po kami kay Alex. Kasi syempre po, sana po maisip nila na may coaching staff siya na kasama, kami po, kami lang. Sana maisip din po yun ng mga tao, na wala pong tumutulong samin.”
After wrapping up her Philippine Women’s Open stint, Emana now hopes to be able to impart her newfound knowledge to the rest of her team — and Philippine tennis as a whole.
“Ike-kwento namin yung experience and mags-share kami ng kung paano yung ginagawa [ng WTA players] before the game, nakikita po kasi namin yun eh,” she said.
Emana returns to action next month with the UAAP Season 88 tennis tournaments slated to begin on Valentine’s Day, February 14.
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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.