Though the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open is a celebration of the growth of the local tennis scene, it also highlighted the gap between homegrown talents and the rest of the world.
By Wednesday, only Alex Eala — a Filipina trained and competing abroad — remained in the draw, as the rest of her compatriots bowed out in the opening rounds of both the singles and doubles tournaments.
The disparity served as an eye-opener for reigning UAAP Women’s Tennis Most Valuable Player Kaye Emana.
“Kapag kayo-kayo lang ang naglalaro, mahirap talaga mag-improve,” the 20-year-old from the University of Santo Tomas said after bowing to world No. 174 Tatiana Prozorova, 6-1, 6-0, on Tuesday.
“Kasi, nakikita ko, kapag may post na may laban ‘yong ibang kababayan natin, nakikita ko sa comments na ibang-iba daw kami kay Alex (Eala). Sana maisip nila na may coaching staff siya na kasama. Kami, kami lang.”
Unlike Eala, who trained at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain, Emana — along with Elizabeth Abarquez of National University, Angeline Alcala of De La Salle University, and Joanna Peña of the University of the Philippines — primarily competes in the UAAP, which serves as their biggest tournament of the year.
They also see action in the PPS-PEPP circuit, but Emana admitted these competitions are not enough to significantly boost their rankings.
“Siguro para makapasok sa mga gano’n, feeling ko, may kailangan kang patunayan bago ka nila makuha,” Emana said of being left off the national team for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, where she was ranked only fifth in the country.
Emana, however, defeated third-ranked Tifanny Nocos in the qualifiers last weekend.
“Sana katulad ng ginagawa nila dito nagpa-prequalify,” she lamented.
“Since No. 5 na ako sa Pilipinas, sinasabi nila bakit noong last SEA Games, wala ako? Wala akong masabi, kasi hindi naman ako na-invite or walang mga pre-qualifying tulad ng dito sa event na ito.”
After experiencing the WTA circuit firsthand, Emana now shifts her focus to the UAAP season next month, hoping that once the collegiate campaign ends, meaningful change will follow.
