World-class tennis comes to Manila as Rizal Memorial readies for Philippine Women's Open

Final renovation works are now underway at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex as the Philippines prepares to host the Philippine Women’s Open.

The Philippine Women’s Open is a WTA 125 event set for January 26 to 31, with the winner earning 125 ranking points.

WTA 125 events, which sit just below the main WTA Tour, are designed to bridge the gap between the ITF circuit and the WTA 1000 and Grand Slam events.

To qualify as a WTA 125 venue, organizers were required to meet strict international standards.

GMA Integrated News visited the historic Tennis Center, which will host more than 30 elite women’s tennis players from around the world.

Aside from resurfacing and repainting the tennis courts, one of the key requirements is a minimum seating capacity of at least 750 spectators. Organizers exceeded this requirement by expanding the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center to nearly 2,000 seats, ensuring wider public access to the tournament.

Beyond the courts themselves, major facility upgrades were also completed. Tournament organizers installed new offices, refurbished buildings to serve as locker rooms, and prepared dedicated spaces for players, officials, and umpires, who are responsible for enforcing WTA rules, including match officiating, line calls, code violations, and time regulations during play.

The world’s best in Manila

Many of the competitors set to compete in the Philippine Women’s Open have previously played in Grand Slam tournaments such as the US Open and the Australian Open.

The 32-player main draw includes Donna Vekic, the Paris Olympics silver medalist whom Eala recently defeated at the ASB Classic and the Kooyong Classic, as well as players such as Lulu Sun and Tatjana Maria.

READ MORE | These Top 100 players lead inaugural WTA 125 Philippine Women's Open field 

Among those given a wildcard entry is Filipino tennis star Alex Eala, whose recent performances have drawn international attention and helped accelerate negotiations to bring a WTA 125 tournament to the Philippines.

However, Eala’s participation in the Manila tour remains conditional, as it will depend on how far she advances in the Australian Open, which begins several days earlier and overlaps with the WTA 125 tournament schedule.

Despite this, Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Patrick Gregorio said Filipino tennis fans will still benefit from hosting the tournament.

“For her to be successful in the Australian Open, karangalan din ng Pilipinas ’yan, pero the players who will be here, because they will fly from Australia to Manila, they are all world-class,” Gregorio said.

Eala’s rising world ranking and growing popularity also played a key role in fast-tracking discussions with the WTA to bring the tournament to Manila, according to the Philippine Tennis Association.

PhilTA Secretary General and Navotas City Mayor John Rey Tiangco said hosting the WTA 125 is part of a broader, long-term development plan for Philippine tennis.

“Malaking pasasalamat talaga, at saka aminin natin na nakakuha tayo ng attention dahil sa kaniya. So itong pag-host ng WTA 125, isa lang ito sa component ng buong ecosystem na gusto nating gawin para ma-improve ’yung buong tennis program natin,” he said.

The PSC added that the tournament’s legacy extends beyond rankings and competition.

“We want the young kids to watch harap-harapan—‘Ay, ayan pala ang idol ko!’ That’s a core memory that will never leave their minds, and they will pick up the sport and excel at it because they were given the opportunity to watch it.”

After the tournament, the upgraded Rizal Memorial Tennis Center will be used as a training base for the Philippine national tennis team, with officials emphasizing the importance of sustained programs rather than one-off international events.

Tiangco added that exposure to elite-level competition is essential for player development.

“Since tayo ’yung host, meron tayong options kung sino ’yung pwede nating ilagay sa qualifying round at sa main draw. And for the players, napakalaking bagay noon, kasi when you compete with good players, nakikita mo ’yung level mo,” he said.

READ MORE | Philippine Women’s Open: Players, ticket prices, and other details you need to know

—JKC, GMA Integrated News