Colombia’s Camila Osorio recovered from an opening set loss against Donna Vekic of Croatia to claim the first-ever Philippine Women’s Open singles title.
Camila Osorio of Colombia fought back from a set down to foil Croatia’s Donna Vekic, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, and become the first-ever Philippine Women’s Open singles champion at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center Saturday, Jan. 31.
Osorio, seeded fifth in the tournament, started out flat against a determined Vekic, who was playing in her first final since the Paris Olympics in 2024.
[RELATED STORY: Can the Philippine Women’s Open be upgraded to a higher tournament? WTA answers]
Despite going down 5-1 in the first set, Osorio recovered some semblance of momentum when she held to love in the seventh game.
While she couldn’t delay the inevitable as Vekic took the opening set, Osorio was able to gain valuable drive for the rest of the match.
In the second set, she started out strong with a 3-0 lead, which became insurmountable for Vekic as the Colombian forced the deciding set.
[ALSO READ: Alex Eala bares ways of coping from losses, emotions after Philippine Women’s Open exit]
In the tight third set, Osorio made her move as she nabbed a crucial break in the ninth game to claim the 5-4 lead and serve for the match.
Despite Osorio getting her service broken right back, the Colombian had one more break up her sleeve to get on the cusp of victory, 6-5. She then successfully held her serve in the 12th game, sealing it with an ace to finish the job.
This is the first time Osorio has won a WTA title outside of her home country.
Eudice Chong and En-Shuo Liang won the women’s doubles title against top-seeded pair Quinn Gleason and Sabrina Santamaria the day before.
—
Luisa Morales is a sportswriter 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.