At A Glance
- The fifth-seeded Colombian outplayed her more experienced, fourth-seeded Croatian rival especially in the second set where she caught fire, forced a decider and went on to clinch the crown.
(PWO)
Camila Osorio dug deep into her bag of tricks and turned back Donna Vekic, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, to become the first-ever champion of the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open at the jam-packed Rizal Memorial Tennis Center on Saturday, Jan. 31.
The fifth-seeded Colombian outplayed her more experienced, fourth-seeded Croatian rival especially in the second set where she caught fire and forced a decider.
From there, Osorio held her ground, turning a 3-4 deficit into a match victory.
It was Osorio’s first title in the WTA Challenger and on the hardcourt. She had three in the WTA Tour -- all from WTA 250 clay-surfaced events.
“I don’t have any words right now, but I’m super happy and it’s such an honor to play here,” said Osorio, who eliminated hometown bet Alex Eala in the quarterfinals, 6-4, 6-4.
“Thank you to all the people who made this tournament possible , I hope to come back in the future," she added.
The WTA No. 84 also bagged the champion's purse of $15,500 (around P910,000).
Vekic, a 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist and ranked No. 72, was gracious in defeat.
“Thank you so much for your support and I appreciate it, congratulations to Camila for the exciting match today, wishing her all the best," said Vekic.
“It’s the first WTA in the Philippines. I see how people enjoy it. I hope to come back. I don’t know [a lot of Tagalog] but maraming salamat," she added.
Osorio advanced to the final after besting Japanese Sakura Hosogi (6-4, 6-3) in the Round of 32, Mai Hontama (6-4, 4-6, 6-2) in the Round of 16, Eala in the quarters, and No. 3 Solano Sierra of Argentina, (6-0, 6-1) in the semifinals.