Camila Osorio, Donna Vekic to battle for first Philippine Women’s Open trophy

Colombian Camila Osorio and Croatian Donna Vekic arranged a finals showdown for the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open after advancing in the WTA 125 event in Manila.

Osorio, who eliminated Filipino star Alex Eala in the quarterfinals, cruised past Argentina’s Solana Sierra, 6-0, 6-1, in a dominant 46-minute semifinal.

Vekic, a crowd favorite, turned back Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova, 6-2, 6-4, to end the latter’s impressive run in Manila.

For Vekic, completing the full week at the Philippine Women’s Open marked a wish fulfilled.

“I’ve been feeling very good since we got here. The tournament organization has been amazing, and the crowd and atmosphere have been incredible,” Vekic said, adding that she and her coach also managed to do a little shopping.

“So we’ve had a good time for sure. I said at the beginning I hoped I could stay here the whole week, and it came through. I’m really, really happy with the week.”

Osorio, meanwhile, is also bracing for a tough test against Vekic.

“Well, it’s definitely going to be a challenge. I’ve played her before in the past and I know she’s a very aggressive player,” Osorio said.

The two met in the Cincinnati Masters in 2022 where Vekic won, 7-6, 6-3.

“She likes to stay on top of the ball and take time away from you, so I’ve got to be ready for that. I’ll try to make it really physical because I like playing longer rallies, and I think that will work better for me.”

Vekic owns four WTA titles, most recently at the 2023 Monterrey Open. Osorio, on the other hand, has three career titles, with her latest coming in April last year.

In doubles action, Eudice Chong of Hong Kong and En-Shuo Liang of Chinese Taipei staged a come-from-behind win over Americans Quinn Gleason and Sabrina Santamaria, 2-6, 7-6(2), 10-6, to capture the doubles title.

—GMA Integrated News