MANILA, Philippines — Paris Olympics silver medalist Donna Vekic is in the Philippines for the first time, and witnessed the culture that Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala created.

Vekic played against Eala twice and also lost to the 20-year-old twice, in the ASB Classic and Kooyong Classic.

She is now off to another duty—playing in the 2026 Philippine Women’s Open

“It’s amazing to ride on the wave of Alex’s fame and popularity and what she brings to the country. [She’s] making more people aware of tennis. So many kids start to play because of her, and for me, it’s important for kids not play tennis, but to play any sport. It’s very important in my opinion,”

Vekic shared during the media day at the newly-refurbished Rizal Memorial Tennis Center on Monday.

“Hopefully, this [hosting] will bring more popularity or more access to the kids for them to play, and who knows, [the Philippines] will have another star,” she added.

When Vekic absorbed her second defeat against Eala in the Kooyong Classic, she noticed the immense support of the Filipino crowd to the 20-year-old, making her say that “I hope they’ll (Philippines) will adopt me.”

For Vekic, losing to Eala has a silver lining.

“I played against her in Auckland, Melbourne… And the support for her is absolutely insane. I said in an interview that maybe you guys should adopt me. And I definitely feel that you have,” she said while smiling. “I have felt the support ever since I got here.”

Possibly facing Eala and with Filipinos being loud, Vekic has no problem with it.

“Yes (the loud cheering). I have [experienced] it twice against me, and hopefully the next one is for me… Not until, I play Alex. I really enjoy a big crowd, and a big atmosphere, even if they’re not cheering for me,” she said.

Vekic will face Kyoka Okamura of Japan in the Round of 32 tomorrow.

The Croatian reached a career-high best of world No. 17 last Jan. 27, 2025.