Crowd favorite Donna Vekić of Croatia beat Russia’s Tatiana Prozorova, 6-4, 6-3, in their semifinal match on Friday at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center to book a seat in the finals of the Philippine Women’s Open.
Vekić, who has won the hearts of Filipino fans, will face Colombia’s Camila Osorio later today for the chance to become the inaugural champion of the Philippine Women’s Open. For Vekić, in particular, the opportunity to win a title is a welcome development after a 2025 that she described as not being easy in terms of results.
“The last year hasn’t been the easiest in terms of results… Everything feels good to [win and] have a couple of matches in a row to be winning and to be back in the finals,” she said after beating Prozorova. “I’m really happy, and I’m proud of my performance this week because it was some mental battles as well.”
At least for now, it appears Vekić is moving on quite nicely from the adversities she had been facing.
Vekić Identifies Keys to Winning vs. Prozorova
So, how exactly did Vekić seal her first finals since the 2024 Olympics?
According to her, it’s all about being solid—and having a good serve, of course.
“My serve was good the whole week, [and] it’s been giving me a lot of free points and making my life a lot easier out there, getting me out of tough situations. Other than that, I’m aggressive, moving well…,” she explained. “I think being solid, hanging in there, because she had some very good shots, but then she would miss some easier balls, so staying solid and use my opportunities when her game would drop.”
Indeed, Vekić’s powerful serve seemed to be the difference-maker in the Croatian’s first-set victory. She then continued to be solid in the second set to fend off the mini-runs of her 22-year-old Russian opponent.
Tough Finals
With Prozorova out of the way, Vekić now turns her attention to Osorio, who notably eliminated Alex Eala on her way to the finals. It’s probably why the Croatian is anticipating a tough duel ahead.
“I mean she’s obviously playing pretty well,” Vekić said of Osorio. “It’s going to be a tough match. But I think both of us have a good chance. I’ll focus on myself, make a good game plan with my coach, and hope for the best.”
Vekić and Osorio will dispute the title later today at 4:00 p.m., barring any delay.
