The Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) is taking concrete steps to elevate the skill level of aspiring tennis players in the country with the creation of the National Women’s and Men’s Open.
A Local “Grand Slam” Pathway to the Pro Tour
Following the successful inaugural WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open, two new national tournaments have been established to uplift local talent and create a clear development pathway for players across the country.
PHILTA Executive Director Tonette Mendoza shared the vision in a Facebook post, outlining plans to establish a series of local “Grand Slam” level tournaments that honor long-standing traditions while ushering in a new generation of players.
“The recent WTA event has helped us translate the increased interest in tennis to restart the local circuit,” Mendoza said, referring to PHILTA’s hosting of the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open last January. “The PHILTA National Open is a revival of what the National Open was years ago. Our dream is to have a healthy local circuit so players have a pathway from juniors to college tennis to local professional tennis.”
These may be a long way from the Roland Garros, US Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon — but every great tennis tradition had to start somewhere.
Familiar Names at the PHILTA National Open
The first-ever National Women’s Open Singles and Doubles ran from April 13 to 18 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center, featuring familiar faces from January’s WTA event—Kaye Ann Emana, Tenny Madis, Stefi Aludo, and Elizabeth Abarquez among them.
This time around, it was Madis and Aludo who proved to be the dominant force.
The University of Hawaii duo claimed the inaugural doubles championship on Friday evening, defeating Annika Diwa and Mekala Vicencio 6–1, 6–2. And in a fitting extension of that dominance, Madis and Aludo also met in the final today in a rematch of their Visayas Women’s Open Leg 1 final last March, which Madis won.
The Next Big Thing in Men’s Tennis
Philippine men’s tennis has been without a prominent standard-bearer for some time now—and PHILTA’s National Open may be exactly the platform needed to change that.
The Main Draw of the Men’s Singles and Doubles runs from April 19 to 26 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. The absence of established big names is not a weakness of this tournament—it is the point. With no dominant figure to defer to, the field is wide open. Any player who emerges from this draw does so on merit alone, in front of an audience that is paying attention.
Philippine men’s tennis has been waiting for its next symbol of hope. This is where the search begins.
