MANILA – Rising Filipina tennis star Tennielle “Tenny” Madis is relishing the opportunity to compete in her first-ever WTA 125 tournament later this month.

Madis and Filipina ace Alex Eala were granted wildcard slots in the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open, since they are the top two-ranked players from the Philippines.

“I’m so very grateful for the wild card. It’s a great opportunity to compete in this higher level and gain valuable experience. So I see it as an invitation to do better, to do my best,” she told the media on the sidelines of the Philippine Women’s Open press conference in Pasay City on Tuesday.

“It feels so special po [to compete at home] and I’m very excited. Super excited kasi makalaban ko yung mga higher level na players,” the 18-year-old added.

Madis said she is training consistently with her team, the Philippine Tennis Academy, in preparation for the WTA 125 tournament.

“I’ve been training consistently, with my team the Philippine Tennis Academy, with Coach Bobie Angelo, and my teammates as well. Yes po, it’s very intensive training and mag-improve pa po yung muscles,” she shared.

Madis had a stellar performance in 2025, winning the Gentry Open Women’s Singles title and her first Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Championship in October.

The 18-year-old likewise clinched two bronzes, one in women’s doubles and in the team event, at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand held in December.

“The lessons po na ma-ano ko is to do my best and have fun lang po. Palagi lang sinasabi ng Coach ko, si Coach Bobie, laban para sa bayan and gapang talaga para sa bayan,” she said.

Despite being up against high-ranked WTA players in the upcoming tournament, Madis said she is focused on doing her best and gaining valuable experience.

“So, my goal is to compete well. And I just focus on to enjoy every match. And, yeah, to compete hard,” she said.

Madis said her inspirations are her team, her family and the trailblazing Eala, whose participation in the tournament is still dependent on her campaign in the Australian Open.

PHILTA Secretary General John Rey Tiangco underscored the importance of tournaments like this for players like Madis.

“When I first saw Tenny when she joined last year’s ITF, after playing ITF and competing with other international players, the next time I saw her she was so much better,” he said.

“This is a big step for Philippine tennis. Because once they experience playing with top caliber players, it’s different. You wanna be better. When you experience their shots, then you know what to improve on. Malaking bagay po ito,” Tiangco added.

She believes having the country host its first-ever WTA 125 tournament will create a huge impact and inspire the Filipino tennis community.

“It’s a big impact for me and all the players sa tennis community sa Philippines. SInce the WTA 125 is a big tournament, so lahat po siguro enjoy or excited sa upcoming tournament,” she added.

The Philippine Women’s Open will run from January 26 to 31 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila.