UST FEMALE Tennisters Kaye Emana and Justine Maneja succumbed in their debut match during the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open main draw at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center on Monday, Jan. 26
The Thomasian wildcards suffered a 6-2, 6-2 loss to the fourth-seeded pair of Argentina’s Nicole Fossa Huergo and Latvia’s Darja Semenistaja in the opening round of the women’s doubles.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first set until Fossa Huergo and Semenistaja dominated the rest of the way.
A commanding 3-0 streak from the European duo kickstarted the second set. The España tandem retaliated mid-set, 4-2, but struggled to ride on their momentum.
With an unsuccessful bid in the women’s doubles, Maneja bowed out early in the country’s first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 event.
Meanwhile, Emana still has a chance to show out in the singles bracket against World No. 174 Tatiana Prozorova of Russia tomorrow, Jan. 27.
Emana, the reigning UAAP tennis MVP, ruled the pre-qualifying tournament to book her slot in the main draw. She took down NU’s Elizabeth Abarquez, who was eliminated earlier during her singles match against Japan’s Mai Hontama.
Opening rites for the WTA 125 featured other Filipina tennis stars, including World No. 49 Alex Eala. F – Ezekiel Bechaida
