MANILA – Renovation work on the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila is being fast-tracked for the historic hosting of the Philippine Women's Open, the first-ever WTA 125 tournament in the country.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Patrick Gregorio and Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) officials inspected the progress of the facility's refurbishment on Friday.
ABS-CBN News got a look inside the venue, with less than a month left until the Philippine Women's Open.
"24 days to go before WTA 125. So no Christmas break, no New Year break. No holiday break. Everybody's here, PHILTA is here, [PSC] Commissioners, PSC people are here," he said.
"We're all here just to make sure we transform Rizal Tennis [Center] as a showcase for the first-ever hosting of the WTA 125 in Manila," Gregorio said.
The PSC chief told ABS-CBN News renovation work is nearly done, which is in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways.
"Siguro 70% kasi if you can see installing of chairs na eh... Ito na, look at this. This is not just for Alex [Eala]. This is for the future generation of Filipino tennis players," Gregorio shared.
"Pinagawa ko yan kay Secretary Vince Dizon, DPWH, 24/7 [work] yan," he added.
PHILTA is looking forward to seeing the refurbishments completed, since the last major renovation was when the country hosted the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
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"We're super super excited. As you can see, 24/7 na ang construction dito. So malapit na. Siguro by next week makikita niyo na kung ano magiging itsura dito," PHILTA Executive Director Tonette Mendoza told ABS-CBN News.
"The courts are gonna be new. So the players will be very happy. So si Chairman is renovating everything. All the facilities will be improved and upgraded so magiging world class talaga. Siyempre to honor the history of Rizal Memorial na it's something we can be proud of," she added.
PHILTA said they are adding more stands to increase the seating capacity to 2,000 spectators, higher than the 750 requirement of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).
"We're only required to have three competition courts. So this will be our center court. And we're installing 2,000 seats so we can accommodate as many people. Kasi we know many Filipinos are excited to watch professional tennis kasi first time eh," Mendoza said.
Ticket prices and the selling date are being finalized, with the announcement expected by next week.
When Gregorio assumed his role as PSC chief, one of his thrusts was to renovate the existing sports and training facilities, especially Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
"You know the Rizal Memorial Coliseum deserves this. It's long overdue, but it really has to be done and now we're doing it. Mabilis ba? Yes kaya naman eh. I don't see any reason why we have to delay," he said.
"Athletes will be happy, they feel motivated and it's just right we take care of facilities for the athletes," Gregorio added.
The official players list for the tournament will be posted by January 2, with a number of the players within the top 100 of the WTA rankings.
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The Philippine Women's Open qualifying will be on January 24, while the main draw will run from January 26 to 31.
PSC MULLING OPENING TENNIS CENTER TO PUBLIC
Similar to what it did with its track ovals, the PSC chief is looking into expanding the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center for public use.
Gregorio said he wants the new look courts to be used by more people.
"We will host PHILTA events, but more importantly, pag-aralan natin how we can open this up to the public for them to use. Pay a minimal fee, play until evening," he said.
"The complex is not just for the national athletes, the complex is not just for PSC, it is for the Filipino people," Gregorio explained.
The PSC chief cited the continued growth in the interest in tennis, especially with the breakout performance of Alex Eala in 2025.
"You have a super brand like Alex Eala. You can just imagine the number of tennis players, not just the youth, pati seniors playing the sport again," Gregorio added.
PHILTA welcomes the proposal of the PSC chief to open the courts to the Filipino people.
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"It's a good time to parang for the resurgence of tennis. Everybody wants to play, all the kids want to play, even the adults are going back to it. Opening this to the public is a step in the right direction to grow tennis," Mendoza said.
After giving the tennis courts a new look, the PSC aims to renovate the baseball and football stadiums next, in a bid to host more international competitions.