MEET MANILA’S NEWEST “ADOPTED DAUGHTER” – DONNA VEKIC IS ON A MISSION TO KEEP THE TROPHY HOME!”Don’t be sad that Alex Eala is out; be happy that there is still a ‘Filipina at heart’ left on the court…” — With that witty and heartfelt “consolation,” Donna Vekic has officially won the internet and the hearts of an entire nation!She’s got the Olympic Silver Medal, a world-class serve, and now…

a Filipino spirit! While fans were heartbroken over Alex Eala’s exit, Donna stepped up with a smile that lights up the entire stadium, jokingly reminding us that she’s staying behind to fight for her “adopted” home. It’s rare to see a foreign player embraced so quickly, but Donna’s charm, “kawaii” energy, and warrior spirit have made her Manila’s newest sweetheart.”I feel like I’m getting better and better every day,” Donna shared after her quarterfinal masterclass. After a long semifinal drought since Wimbledon 2024, she seems to have found her “magic” right here in the Philippines.

It turns out that the thunderous cheers from the Manila crowd are the best medicine for the soul! In return, Donna hasn’t held back her love for the legendary Filipino hospitality and the incredible energy we bring to the stands.Donna isn’t just playing for points anymore; she wants to become the first-ever Philippine Women’s Open Champion as a “Thank You” to the land that welcomed her with open arms.

The challenge will be tough, but with millions of Filipino hearts beating alongside her, Donna is far from alone on that court! You wouldn’t believe who’s secretly supporting Donna from behind the scenes. Z

MEET MANILA’S NEWEST “ADOPTED DAUGHTER” – DONNA VEKIC IS ON A MISSION TO KEEP THE TROPHY HOME!  “Don’t be sad that Alex Eala is out; be happy that there is still a ‘Filipina at heart’ left on the court…” — With that witty and heartfelt “consolation,” Donna Vekic has officially won the internet and the hearts of an entire nation!  She’s got the Olympic Silver Medal, a world-class serve, and now…

a Filipino spirit! While fans were heartbroken over Alex Eala’s exit, Donna stepped up with a smile that lights up the entire stadium, jokingly reminding us that she’s staying behind to fight for her “adopted” home. It’s rare to see a foreign player embraced so quickly, but Donna’s charm, “kawaii” energy, and warrior spirit have made her Manila’s newest sweetheart. “I feel like I’m getting better and better every day,” Donna shared after her quarterfinal masterclass. After a long semifinal drought since Wimbledon 2024, she seems to have found her “magic” right here in the Philippines.

It turns out that the thunderous cheers from the Manila crowd are the best medicine for the soul! In return, Donna hasn’t held back her love for the legendary Filipino hospitality and the incredible energy we bring to the stands. Donna isn’t just playing for points anymore; she wants to become the first-ever Philippine Women’s Open Champion as a “Thank You” to the land that welcomed her with open arms. The challenge will be tough, but with millions of Filipino hearts beating alongside her, Donna is far from alone on that court!

Fan favorite Donna Vekic made it to the final four of the Philippine Women’s Open, marking an end to a lengthy drought of semifinal appearances.

Donna Vekic opens Friday’s games at the Philippine Women’s Open against Tatiana Prozorova in the semifinal. | Photo: RM Chua / One Sports

Donna Vekic is on fire at the Philippine Women’s Open, and not just in terms of fan support.

The Croatian has reached her first semifinal in the WTA tour since 2024, having faced a lot of early exits in her subsequent tournaments leading up to the Philippines’ first-ever WTA tournament.Prior to the start of the tournament, Vekic underscored the importance of performing well in the WTA Challenger.

And now that she’s already notched three wins in a row, she believes that she’s going in the right direction — especially with the drought-ending win.“Yeah, these matches they mean a lot to me right now,” Vekic told the media after drubbing Zhu Lin in their quarterfinals match on Thursday.“I haven’t been in the semifinals since a long time so you know, to win three matches in a row doesn’t matter against who, it’s a big thing.”Vekic had last competed in a WTA Tour semifinal back in Wimbledon 2024, when she faced Jasmine Paolini in what became the longest semifinal match in Wimbledon.

Paolini beat Vekic in three sets, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6.But as she gets deeper and deeper into the Philippine Women’s Open, the Paris Olympics silver medalist is happy to see her play improve day by day.“I am feeling that I’m playing better and better each day and that’s all that matters right now, and to stay healthy so hopefully I can have two more matches that will be amazing,” she said.

Easier said than doneWhile Vekic does feel good about being in the semifinal, the 29-year-old is hardly happy with ending her stint then and there.With a bigger goal of returning to her high last year when she achieved a career-best ranking of World No.

17, Vekic hopes to get as many wins as possible — and hopefully become the Philippine Women’s Open’s very first champion.But standing in her way is an equally determined Tatiana Prosorova, who has already won some very interesting upsets in the past few days, including ousting top-seeded Tatjana Maria in the Round of 16.After beating another higher ranked opponent in Sofia Costoulas in the quarters, Vekic remains wary of the Russian netter.

At the end of the day, results matter more than their rankings, even if there will be a sizeable disparity between the two.“I mean, you cannot be in the semifinals without playing good tennis so it’s going to be a tough match for sure. I don’t know a lot about her, we will watch with my coach and make a good plan,” she said.Vekic and Prozorova open the action on the penultimate day of the Philippine Women’s Open at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. Matches will start at 3 p.m.