"WTA 125 Manila. We are ready!"
This was the assurance given yesterday by organizers regarding preparations for the Philippine Women's Open, the country's first Women's Tennis Association tournament, set from Jan. 26 to 31 at the newly-refurbished Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
"We are glad with the partnership of the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Tennnis Association. The PSC is the enabler of events," noted Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick "Pato" Gregorio said during the press conference yesterday at the Lanson Place in Pasay City two weeks before the event begins.
"You go there (the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center) and see hundreds of workers working into the wee hours of the morning. We have not only mobilized the PSC group but also the City of Manila and the DPWH. It is a beautiful transformation," he said of the upgrading of the entire Rizal Memorial Sports Complex for the meet.
"So we have no second thoughts in giving financial support for this project and to NSAs that realize and understand the vision of the Philippine Sports Commission," the PSC chief stressed.
"The fact that we are already using the courts for a qualifying tournament among our top local players for the Philippine Women's Open means that it (the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center) is almost ready," said PHILTA secretary general John Rey Tiangco at the same briefing.
"We are confident that with the PSC beside us that we will be able to finish on time."
Tiangco, also the Navotas City Mayor and a former age group standout and national player, said that hosting the inaugural Philippine Women's Open was a big deal for Philippine tennis development.
"Malaking bagay po ito. This is not just a one-time event, an investment for Philippine tennis. We are building a whole new ecosystem that will allow our local players to compete against world-class opponents," he said.
The PHILTA secured a three-year agreement with the Women's Tennis Association to stage the WTA 125 tournament, according to Tiangco.
Meanwhile, tickets are now available for the competition, according to PHILTA executive director Tonette Mendoza, with the price pegged at P200 each and free seating for the qualifying round matches from Jan. 24 to 25.
In the main draw from the round of 32 to the quarterfinals frrom Jan. 26 to 29, ticket prices will be at P1,000, with free seating, Mendoza said.
On the other hand, tickets for singles semifinals and doubles finals on Jan. 30 will cost P1,500 for the standard pass and P2,000 for the premium pass, which will also be the ticket prices for the championship match on the last day on Jan. 31, she said.
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