The Philippine Women's Open title was not meant to be for Donna Vekic, but there was something about the Filipino spirit that made the Manila run special for the Croatian star.
Croatia’s Donna Vekic experienced a bittersweet moment after falling to Colombia’s Camila Osorio in the Finals of the first-ever Philippine Women’s Open at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center on Saturday, January 31.
While she was disappointed in the outcome, especially after winning the opening set, Vekic admitted that something about the Filipino crowd made the title loss a little more bearable.
[RELATED: Camila Osorio denies Donna Vekic to claim maiden Philippine Women’s Open title]
“I think the crowd support has been the best in the whole week. I had a lot of fun playing out there in front of everyone. It was really, as well, pushing us today to give our best and push ourselves to the limit,” Vekic said.
“Hopefully, the crowd enjoyed.”
The 29-year-old was the surprise crowd favorite in the Philippines’ first-ever hosting of a WTA 125 tournament.
Owing to her frequent meetings with Alex Eala in the past month, Filipino fans have grown fond of Vekic especially after the Paris Olympics silver medalist asked to be “adopted” after a loss against Eala in the Kooyong Classic.
A good start
Despite the loss, there were still some positives for Vekic to take away from Manila outside of her new-found fanbase.
Vekic played sharp all week long in Manila, leading to her first tournament finale since 2024.
At the end of the day, Vekic believes that her run to the Philippine Women's Open Finals is her trending in the right direction, and she hopes it turns into more success in the near future.
“I think it will be really good for me going forward. Hopefully, I can take some confidence out of this week. Having played five matches, you cannot replicate this in practice, so it definitely means a lot,” she said.
“I’m hoping I can continue with some good results going forward.”
—
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.