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| Donna Vekic sees a bright future ahead for Philippine tennis amid Alex Eala's rise to stardom. PSC |
MANILA--Croatian tennis star Donna Vekic is banking that the first Philippine Women's Open can boost the sport's further development in the country, paving the way for the next generation players who will follow in the footsteps of current sensation Alex Eala.
"It is amazing to ride on the wave of Alex's fame and what she brings to the country, making it more aware of tennis. I guess that many kids are now starting to play tennis because of her," said Vekic on Monday, the eve of her women's singles opening round debut.
"Who knows? You may have another star (like Alex) soon," added the Paris Olympic Games women's singles silver medalist of the impact of the inaugural WTA 125 tournament in the country, supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.
She advised the aspiring young netters "to work hard, be yourself, and enjoy the game."
Ranked No. 72 in the world and seeded fourth, the Paris Olympic Games silver medalist is set to play Japan's Kyoko Nakamura (No. 310) in one of the featured matches on Tuesday.
"I am hoping to play aggressive. A good first serve helps my game, and it helps me a lot to be more consistent. Yeah (I aim) to dominate the court with my play," added Vekic.
She was pleased about the playing conditions, saying "conditions of the court are nice, it suits me. I am aware a lot of things have been done for all of this to come together. It is very humid, so it suits me, too. I am looking forward to it."
Having lost to Eala twice in a row - first at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand and then at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, Australia just last week- Vekic said that she knew what to expect when she plays the hometown favorite.
"Support for Eala has absolutely been insane. After the matches, I told (the Filipino crowd) maybe you'll adopt me. And I feel that they have," she said.
"I enjoy a huge crowd. It is a nice atmosphere, even if they are not cheering for me. I am ready for that. But hopefully, the Filipinos will support me here, at least until I play Alex," Vekic mused.
Asked what her relationship with Eala was, she replied: " I think she has a good relationship with me. I don't know her that well. But I think she is a really sweet girl."
Although disappointed at her own abbreviated run in the Australian Open, the Croatian said that the goal here in the Philippine Women's Open was "to play many matches as possible."
"I had a really good off-season training, but now I hope to pick up some wins. It is important now to have some matches and get some confidence and be back where I was before."
