AFFORDABLE ticket prices are set to open the gates for Filipino tennis fans when the Philippine Women’s Open Tennis Championships unfold from Jan. 26 to 31 at the newly renovated Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila, marking the country’s first hosting of a WTA 125-level tournament.
Organizers announced that tickets for the qualifiers will be priced at just P200, while admission for the first round up to the quarterfinals will cost P1,000. Fans can watch the semifinals for P1,500, with finals tickets pegged at P2,000.
Philippine Tennis Association secretary general John Rey Tiangco said the pricing was designed to make world-class tennis accessible to the public.
“This will inspire our junior players, as they get to watch live, these top-caliber players play,” said Tiangco, who is also the mayor of Navotas.
On the local front, national team member Tennielle Madis is drawing inspiration from fellow wildcard entry and tennis star Alex Eala as she prepares for the tournament.
The 18-year-old Madis shared that Eala has given her simple but valuable advice heading into the competition.
“Lagi kaming nagtsi-tsikahan. Sine-share niya sa akin na she just had a lot of fun (in her games), and I just need to have fun (in my games),” Madis said on Tuesday during the tournament presentation at the Lanson Place Hotel inside the Mall of Asia complex.
Eala and Madis are already assured spots in the main draw as wildcard entries, along with two others who will emerge from a mini-tournament scheduled from Jan. 12 to 15. The playoff for the remaining two wildcard slots will feature seven players: Tiffany Nocos, Stefi Marithe Aludo, Kaye Ann Emana, Elizabeth Abarquez, Justine Hannah Maneja, Niña Angeline Alcala and Joana Victoria Peña.
The tournament will also showcase international stars, led by German Tatjana Maria, the highest-ranked entrant at world No. 45, who is coming off a stint at the Brisbane International, a WTA 500 event. Joining her is Croatian standout Donna Vekic, the Paris Olympics silver medalist and current world No. 69, who recently faced Eala at the 2026 ASB Challenge in New Zealand.
Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio welcomed the country’s first-ever hosting of a high-level women’s tennis event and expressed optimism over Philta’s plan to stage the tournament for the next two years.
“If we can do this for the next three years, then this is the best opportunity for the Philippines to grow in the sport,” Gregorio said.
