Manila: Philippine Tennis Academy (PTA) players Tennielle Madis and Stefi Marithe Aludo are gearing up to compete for wild card spots in the upcoming WTA 125 Philippine Open, set to take place at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center from January 12 to 15. The young athletes made their mark at the Thailand Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December by clinching bronze medals in both the doubles and team categories.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center is undergoing renovations that are expected to be completed by January 10. The upgrades include transforming Court 2 into a Center Court with a seating capacity of 2,000. Additional courts-Courts 4 and 6-will be used for matches, while the Dacudao covered court and Court 5 will serve as practice areas.
The qualifying round for the WTA 125 Philippine Open is scheduled for January 24 to 25, with the main draw taking place from January 26 to 30. Matches are set to commence at 2 p.m. daily. The event will feature renowned players such as former world No. 2 and Paris Olympic silver medalist Donna Krevic from Croatia, who is currently ranked No. 69 and was a semifinalist in the 2024 French Open.
The lineup also includes World No. 45 Tatjana Maria of Germany, who claimed her fourth WTA title at the Queen Club Championships last June. Other notable participants are Xinxu Wang from China (No. 57), Kazakhstan's Yulina Putintseva (No. 71), Camila Osorio from Colombia (No. 77), Yue Yuan from China (No. 83), Simona Waltert from Switzerland (No. 87), Lulu Sun from New Zealand (No. 90), Japan's Moyuka Uchijima (No. 94), and Australia's Kimberly Berrell (No. 98).
Meanwhile, there is uncertainty surrounding the participation of SEA Games gold medalist and World No. 53 Alex Eala and Indonesian player Janice Tjien (No. 56) in the WTA 125 Philippine Open. Both athletes are scheduled to compete in the main draw of the Australian Open, which will be held at Melbourne Park from January 18 to February 1.
