Emana boosts bid for PH Open qualifiers

OVER a span of two days, UAAP Season 87 Tennis MVP Kaye Ann Emana of UST exemplified the kind of grit and grind players need to raise their game to a new level.

Displaying both in equal measure, Emana outplayed varsity rival Elizabeth Abarquez of NU 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 last Wednesday night at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center to book a ticket to the qualifying round of the Philippine Women’s Open.

Mixing her shots well, Emana reasserted her mastery over the frustrated Abarquez with another straight-sets triumph, reprising their clash in the UAAP women’s tennis tournament finals last year.

Even more impressive was the fact that the bespectacled netter was just an hour away from completing a 6-4, 6-4 conquest of top seed Tiffany Nocos in the semifinals after their match was suspended the previous night after the first set due to heavy rain.

When play resumed late yesterday afternoon, Emana showed grit, rallying from a 1-4 second-set deficit to win the next five games and set up a showdown with Abarquez for the coveted wild card ticket in the qualifying meet organized by the Philippine Tennis Association.

“Thankful po ako and excited to get the wild card (for the Philippine Women’s Open qualifying round). At kinakabahan din po kasi first time kong makakalaban ang mga mas magagaling na player sa qualifying round,” she said.

Eleven of the WTA’s Top 100 players are set to compete in the country’s first edition of the prestigious tournament.

Alex Eala has been granted a wildcard, but her participation will depend on her schedule at the Australian Open, which coincides with the Philippine Opens.

Leading the field is Wang Xinyu of China (world No. 43), who beat Eala in the semis at the 2026 ASB Classic in Auckland.

The other notable entrants are Tatjana Maria (No. 42, Germany), a Roland Garros semifinalist in 2022 and one-time Olympian; Donna Vekic (No. 70, Croatia), who lost to Eala at the ASB Classic and the Kooyong Classic;

Lulu Sun (No. 85, New Zealand), who defeated Eala at the Jingshan Tennis Open last September, Solana Sierra (No. 64), Camila Osorio (No. 82), Yue Yuan (No. 84), Simona Waltert (No. 86), Moyuka Uchijima (No. 87), Darja Semenistaja (No. 96), Veronika Erjavek (No. 99), as well as Elina Avanesyan, Kimberly Birrell, Alina Charaeva, Sofia Costoulas, Joanna Garland, Nao Hibino, Leolia Jeanjean, Polina Kudermetova, Yulia Putintseva, Himeno Sakatsume, Yuliia Starodubtseva, Lanlana Tararudee, and Lin Zhu.

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