The Philippine Women’s Open — the first-ever WTA-level tournament held in the country — offered more than just a chance for Filipinos to witness world-class tennis. More importantly, it gave local athletes an opportunity to experience top-level competition firsthand.
This was exactly what UAAP Season 87 co-MVP Kaye Emana experienced when she competed in the doubles Round of 32 match alongside her University of Santo Tomas teammate Justine Maneja, facing the fourth-seeded duo of Argentina’s Nicole Fossa Huergo and Latvia’s Darja Semenistaja.
Despite falling 2-6, 2-6, Emana was pleased with their performance and proud of how they matched up against a seeded pair.
“Hindi po kami talaga nagdo-doubles, and sa season po talaga namin is singles po talaga ko. Pero as teammates po, medyo alam na po namin ‘yung galaw namin, medyo kinulang lang po talaga kasi nga biglaang doubles partner, and may singles pa po ako,” the 20-year-old shared.
For Emana and Maneja, the experience was a valuable learning opportunity that they hope to carry into future tournaments, particularly as they prepare to defend their title in the upcoming UAAP season next month.
“Sa improvement naman po, feeling ko po magagamit ko po lahat.
“Siyempre, nothing to lose po kami dito kasi bago nga po ‘yung mga nakalaban namin and sobrang lalakas. Feeling ko po madadala ko ‘yung palo ko na malalakas po ‘yung bolang pabalik sa ‘kin ‘pag dating ng UAAP. Feeling ko po makakatulong siya para ma-defend namin ‘yung title namin,” said Emana, the older of the two Emana siblings in the Female Tennisters lineup.
Emana will still have a chance to secure a win in the tournament when she faces Tatiana Prozorova in singles action tomorrow. With WTA-level competition now under her belt, she is determined to perform even better when she returns to the court.
“Since first time ko nga po, nagulat po ako na sobrang lakas. Noong napapanood natin sila sa mga video, parang akala natin soft lang pero hindi po pala,” the incoming junior added.
“Feeling ko po bukas, magiging better po ako since alam ko po ‘yung paano ‘yung palo ng mga foreigners.”
