Croatia’s Donna Vekic is easily among the fan favorites of the Filipino crowd at the Philippine Women’s Open.
Donna Vekic’s wish was granted on Tuesday, becoming the darling of the Filipino crowd when she faced Kyoka Okamura in the Round of 32 of the Philippine Women’s Open at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
Having already played Alex Eala twice this month, Vekic hoped to be on the crowd’s good side this time around as she competed in the first-ever WTA event held in Manila.
Now an unexpected favorite among Filipino tennis fans who have christened her as “Tita Donna,” the Paris Olympics silver medalist delighted herself and a packed audience by beating Okamura, 6-2, 6-2.
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“Yeah, it was great to play today. The crowd was amazing and it was a good match. So I’m really happy with the performance,” Vekic said.
The Croatian went even far enough as saying that the Filipinos’ support was greater than what she got during the Olympics.
For Vekic, she hopes to enjoy the energy of the crowd as long as possible — especially as that would mean a deep run in the Philippine Women’s Open.
“I feel very welcomed and hopefully I can stay here the whole week because it's really a big pleasure playing for them,” she said.
Momentum building
Of course, more than the crowd, Vekic also took pleasure in getting a winning performance after a flat start to her 2026 WTA season.
Eager to get back to her prime, reaching a career-high world no. 17 around this time last year, Vekic understands that big strides at the Philippine Women’s Open could open up a lot more opportunities for her down the line.
“You know, I didn't have that many wins in matches recently. So every win is huge for me right now. And this is why I'm here, you know, to try to get as many matches as possible and to build some confidence,” said Vekic.
However, Vekic did admit that getting wins is easier said than done.
Even against Okamura, where she needed just an hour and 11 minutes to dispose of the 310th-ranked Japanese, the 29-year-old said that it was still an uphill battle.
“I knew I had to be aggressive. I was serving really well throughout the whole match. She was playing well. The scoreline maybe looks easy, but it wasn't an easy match at all,” she said.
“I had to stay focused until the end and push all the way.”
The focus becomes even more important for the Croatian as she faces even more challenges in the next round of the Philippine Women’s Open. Vekic returns to action against Russian Mariia Tkacheva on Wednesday, January 28.
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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.