Inaugural National Women’s Open champion Tenny Madis said that playing against her long-time tennis partner Stefi Aludo felt like going up against her own sister—and that it never gets easier.
On Saturday morning at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center, Madis overcame a second-set barrage from her doubles partner to clinch the first-ever singles championship, winning 6–2, 7–5.
Speaking exclusively with Rebanse after the match and awarding ceremony, the 18-year-old was candid about the emotional complexity of competing against someone that close.
“First of all, parang kapatid ko na talaga si Stefi and [kapag] magkalaban kami sa court it’s so hard po—pero ganun po talaga, iba po talaga kapag nasa tennis court na,” Madis said. “Parang wala na pong [kaibi]-kaibigan pero mayroon pa rin naman po,” she added.
The two had previously met in the Visayas Women’s Open Leg 1 final last March, with Madis also emerging victorious on that occasion.
Battling More Than Just Her Opponent
Beyond the emotional challenge of competing against someone she considers family, the 2025 Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist also had to contend with fatigue, intense heat, and a possible bout of food poisoning.
“Mahirap po talaga, like madaming challenges and sacrifices—pero nag-training po talaga ako with Stefi and my team and our coach, Coach Bobbie [Angelo], for this [type of] weather,” she said.
In the middle of the second set, Madis was forced to call a medical timeout, prompting her coaches and medical staff to attend to her on court. After the match, she revealed she had been dealing with nausea and dizziness throughout—but pushed through to close out the title.
Next Stop for Madis: University of Hawaii
With her collegiate tennis career already set in motion on a scholarship at the University of Hawaii, Madis—the pride of N’lang, North Cotabato—said she is approaching the next chapter of her career with the same mindset that carried her through Saturday’s final.
“I’ll just do my best there. Play hard lang po talaga and be humble lang po talaga always,” she said.
Madis and Aludo are both expected to suit up for the Rainbow Wahine in Honolulu come September 2026, which means the next chapter of their rivalry, and their friendship, is just getting started.
