Filipina qualifier Kaye Ann Emana lost her first-ever international competition on Tuesday, 6-1, 6-0, to Tatiana Prozorova in the Philippine Women’s Open.
Despite the loss, the UST ace in the UAAP is still both joyful and grateful to be part of this inaugural tournament.
“Siyempre po happy kasi nakapaglaro po ako sa ganitong tournament, and international po ’to,” Emana said after her match. “So, ayun po, masaya lang na nakasali po ako sa ganitong event.”
Moreover, Emana bared that she approached the tournament with an open mind—and with an eye on the UAAP tennis season.
“Ginawa ko lang pong mindset is nilaro ko lang po ’yung laro ko, since manalo, matalo, may matutunan po ako,” Emana said. “And sabay po siya sa season namin, and preparations ko po is kasama ko po lagi ’yung teammates ko na mag-gym and magpalo…”
Emana is also dreaming big, although she’ll be the first to admit that her tennis aspirations are still a long way off.
“Siyempre po, ’yung mga Australian Open, mga ganun po,” she shared. “Pero ’yun nga, sa napakita ko po dito sa event na ito, feeling ko sobrang layo pa po nun.”
Kay Anne Emana Issues a Call for Help
Crucially, Kaye Ann Emana used her post-match presser to issue what amounts to a call for help for athletes like her, who don’t necessarily have the means to get world-class training, unlike a certain someone who’s still playing in the Philippine Women’s Open.
“Sana po laging magka-trainings or seminars. Kasi po mahirap po talaga kapag wala pong money or wala pong budget,” Emana told reporters. “Tapos kapag kayo-kayo lang po, mahirap po talagang mag-improve, hindi katulad kay Alex [Eala] na mayroon po silang [Rafa] Nadal Academy.”
Emana also rued how some are seemingly looking down on players like her who failed to get a win in their assignments in the main draw of the Philippine Women’s Open.
“Kasi po nakikita ko po kapag may post na may laban po ’yung ibang Philippines tulad kami, nakikita ko po sa comments na ibang-iba daw po kami kay Alex,” she said. “Siyempre po, sana maisip po nila na may coaching staff po siya na kasama, ’tapos kami po, kami-kami lang. Sana maisip din po ’yun ng mga tao.”
A Wake-Up Call for PHILTA
Of course, it can’t be denied that the Philippine Women’s Open is happening mostly because of Eala’s rise to stardom. In fact, Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) Secretary General John Rey Tiangco himself admitted that the WTA green-lit this tournament upon seeing an Alex Eala interview.
Just from that vantage point, Eala certainly deserves all her flowers and the attention she’s getting. But Emana’s honesty cannot be dismissed either. She, Tenny Madis, Steffi Aludo, and Elizabeth Abarquez all gave their best shot in the Philippine Open, and they deserve all the help they can get in chasing their own tennis dreams—especially since Eala already has her own support system in place anyway.
In other words, Kaye Ann Emana is right: PHILTA needs to help homegrown players develop their game. It must find a way to strengthen their preparation if it wants to discover and hone the next Alex Ealas of the country.
