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Tatjana Maria in action at the WTA 125 Philippine Women's Open. Photo from Philippine Sports CommissionMANILA — Tatjana Maria escaped an upset-conscious Leolia Jeanjean, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, to advance to the second round of the rain-delayed Philippine Women's Open at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
Maria, a seasoned player from Germany -- the oldest at 38 and highest-rated player in the WTA 125 tournament at No. 42, survived the battle of wills and skills in prevailing after a riveting match that lasted two hours and 23 minutes.
"It was a very tough match (against Jeanjean) since we have played each other in the past amid these humid conditions," said Maria, who came to the country for the first time with his husband-coach Charles and two daughters.
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Due to intermittent rain in the afternoon, matches that were originally set to begin at 2 p.m. were pushed back to nearly six o'clock in the evening as the sky finally began to clear up.
The delay also wiped out all pf the doubles matches set for yesterday, which will be played in morning today of the competition organized by the Philippine Tennis Association and sanctioned by the Women's Tennis Association.
On the local front, wild card bet Kaye Ann Emana absorbed a 1-6, 0-6 whipping at the hands of Tatiana Prozorova earlier to leave local ace Alex Eala as the last Filipina standing in the tourney.
Up against a netter ranked No. 174 in the world, the bespectacled Emana lasted just 42 minutes on the court before bowing out contention.
Prozorova, who reached the first round of the 2023 US Open, gave her opponent a textbook lesson, pouncing on the limitations of her foe, who grips double-fisted that limited her mobility and court coverage.