Colombia’s Camila Osorio became the first-ever champion of the Philippine Women’s Open after beating Donna Vekic in the final Saturday, Jan. 31.
The Philippine Women’s Open welcomed its first-ever singles champion in Camila Osorio after she subdued Donna Vekic in a thrilling three-set final, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila Saturday, Jan. 31.
Osorio recovered from being a set down to claim the win and the USD 15,500 prize in a battle that thrilled Filipino fans for over two hours and 30 minutes.
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The world No. 84 evened the match in the second set, then made her move late in the tight third, breaking in the ninth and eleventh games before taking the match on her serve.
A resounding ace out wide sealed it for the Colombian, who raised both hands in celebration.
After the match, the 24-year-old Osorio spoke highly of Vekic and the country's first-ever WTA 125 tournament, while also acknowledging the Filipino supporters who crowded the venue each and every day of the week-long tournament.
Osorio, who won all of her three WTA Tour titles in her home country of Colombia, was in awe of the support she and Vekic received.
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Both players were considered fan favorites. The World No. 72 Vekic was endearingly called "Tita" or auntie and Osorio, "Ate" or big sister, by Filipino fans.
Donna Vekic gets ready to swing signed tennis balls to the crowd after her semifinal victory in the Philippine Women's Open. | File photo: RM Chua/One Sports
“Obviously, thank you to each one of you for being here. I've never seen this much people, to be honest, in a match for me. And it's been great, because the support the whole week has been really amazing,” Osorio said during her acceptance speech.
“I just hope you can keep coming and enjoying the sport, enjoying women's tennis, which is what we want and what we love. So hopefully you can keep, you know, just having fun,” she added.
En route to the final, Osorio upended hometown bet Alex Eala in the quarterfinals, before dominating Solana Sierra in the semis to set up the clash against Vekic, whose last finals appearance was in the Bad Homburg Open in the main WTA Tour and in the 2024 Olympics mid-2024.
The 29-year-old Vekic already has four WTA titles.
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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.