Thailand’s Peangtarn “Earth” Plipuech has earned a spot in the Main Draw of the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open after a 6-2, 6-3 dismantling of Japan’s Rina Saigo in the continuation of the singles qualifiers on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
Postmatch, a beaming Plipuech said she’s happy to get into the Main Draw, as she hasn’t “gotten a singles main draw in a long time.” She also admitted that her current two-match winning streak has been a long time coming, and now she has a chance to add to it as part of the main draw.
Before her win over Saigo, Plipuech dominated Filipina bet Louraine Jallorina, 6-0, 6-1, on the first day of the qualifying round.
Plipuech Unperturbed by Slight Distraction
Plipuech notably kept her laser-like focus throughout—even during a slight commotion that saw quite a few fans getting up from the stands to exit the venue. The reason? They wanted to make a beeline to the other court to watch Alex Eala practice.
“Actually, it was 3-0? Lucky me, because I didn’t serve. It’s awesome,” Plipuech said when asked about the brief distraction. “It’s better [it was] my opponent [and it] wasn’t me. She’s like throwing the ball, and the crowd went, ‘Hey!’ but it’s on me.”
The 33-year-old Thailander was referring to Saigo, who seemed to struggle with her serve during that brief moment in the second set.
“I think it’s better to return than to serve because we have to throw the ball, and the crowd was like, ‘Hey!’ all the time, and my opponent was like, ugh, again, again, and do again. Yeah, lucky it wasn’t me,” said the Thai tennis ace.
The one-time Manila visitor back in 2019 for the Southeast Asian Games then reiterated that she didn’t think much about the episode, as she’s just “having fun” in her second go-round in the Philippines to play tennis.
“Like I said, I just want to have fun at the court. I didn’t think about anything, win or lose, because I didn’t come to play for singles. I just signed, and lucky that I get in,” she said. “So, I’m just like having fun, that’s all.”
Tennis Etiquette in the Spotlight
Sunday’s action in the Philippine Women’s Open mostly went without a hitch, save for that brief “semi-commotion” in the second set of Plipuech’s second commanding performance.
Unfortunately, it put the spotlight on the need for fans, or at least some of them, to learn more about tennis etiquette and observe it. That Plipuech didn’t mind the crowd causing an unnecessary distraction—Eala wasn’t even playing—shouldn’t detract from this need to show proper behavior during matches. The WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open is a historic first for the country, and it’s only right that Filipino fans put their best foot forward.
They owe it to Alex Eala and players like Peangtarn “Earth” Plipuech, who came here to compete and have fun.
