PHILTA aiming to make Rizal Memorial Tennis Center open to public after PH Women’s Open

The Philippine Women’s Open was a resounding success, with Colombia’s Camila Osorio claiming the championship against Croatia’s Donna Vekic in a thrilling three-set showdown on Saturday, January 31, at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

After weeks of preparation — which included the refurbishment of the courts at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex — players, coaches, and the WTA have all given the tournament a passing grade.

Much time and funding was used to make the facilities ready to host the country’s first-ever WTA tournament.

But now that it’s said and done, the Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) hopes to keep momentum going with the continued use of the courts.

[RELATED: PSC eyes long-term plans for Philippine Women’s Open]

While the Philippine Women’s Open is expected to be a three-year deal, meaning that the tournament will happen again next year, PHILTA is also planning to use the refurbished courts for other tournaments.

From competitions organized by the likes of the International Tennis Federation and the Asian Tennis Federation, PHILTA is eager to show off Rizal Memorial’s new tennis courts.

“Well, we fixed, thanks to PSC for relief funding, resurfacing and fixing, not just the tennis courts, the whole facility. And it's an investment, because after this tournament, we can use it for other tournaments,” PHILTA Secretary General John Rey Tiangco said after the conclusion of the Philippine Women’s Open.

“And not just local tournaments, because we've been using this for local tournaments. Now we can even have, like for juniors, we already have the ITFs here. We can have ATFs, we can have probably the small DTBs, because it's already qualified, it would pass the requirements of those tournaments.”

Just like old times

For Tiangco, the renewed interest in tennis can spark the need for more tennis courts.

With the continued rise of Alex Eala and the lasting impact of holding the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open, Pinoys are now eager to pick up rackets.

As such, they will need tennis courts to play on.

[RELATED: Alex Eala says future of Philippine tennis is a collective effort — 'I'm just one person']

With the mission of growing the Philippines’ love for tennis, PHILTA is eyeing a partnership with PSC to make the Rizal Tennis Center available to the public — just like how the track ovals in both PSC offices in Manila and in Pasig are open to public runners on a set schedule.

The Rizal Memorial Tennis Complex previously open for rent, and PHILTA wants to revamp this program.

“I also discussed with Chairman Pato [Gregorio] if we could manage the courts like before. Because before, it was a public court, and a lot of players could just play here. And even not competitive, even our seniors. But now, they go to, I think it's the CCP now, when they closed it,” said Tiangco. 

“Before, it was a public court. So, just like what they did in the stadium, a lot of people run there.”

At the end of the day, PHILTA believes that the growth of tennis doesn’t just rely on players like Eala and other WTA players who happen to play a tournament in the Philippines.

Rather, PHILTA is hopeful to push more for visibility and accessibility with the Philippine Women’s Open serving as a catalyst.

“It's not just actually winning medals. I think it's part of the President's holistic approach to our Healthy Lifestyle Program that we have to be active. So whether you're a junior player, you want to be a champion, you're a junior player, you want to get into a scholarship abroad, we're here. Or just a club player, or just for health reasons,” said Tiangco. 

“So, we can hopefully use the facility. Because most of the tennis courts, mostly are for membership. So, this is what we need, public courts.”

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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.