The Philippines Had Never Hosted a WTA Event Until January. In 2027 It Gets Two.
Until this January, the Philippines had never hosted a WTA event. In 2027, it will host two.
The WTA's 2027 calendar adds a WTA 250 in Manila, scheduled for November 1 to 7. It will be the last event on tour before the WTA Finals in Charlotte, November 10 to 14, and it joins the Philippine Women's Open, the WTA 125 that debuted at Manila's Rizal Memorial Tennis Center last January and is staying on the calendar for January 2027.
How Manila Got Here
The Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) confirmed the news at the start of October. "We're going to have WTA 250 next year, 2027, late October, early November," secretary general John Rey Tiangco said, and he made clear the new tournament will not replace the January event. SPIN.ph reports that the 250 is a three-year commitment.
The license comes from India. Ben Rothenberg reported that the Manila event is a relocation of the WTA 250 previously held in Chennai, which is still on the WTA's 2026 calendar for early November and, according to Tennis365, will be held there for the last time. The Manila Times reported that the WTA approved Manila's hosting application in late September, buoyed by Alex Eala's breakout run this year, with her matches drawing packed crowds across the tour.
Why This Matters for the Region
Going from no WTA events in 2025 to two in 2027 is a big step for tennis in Southeast Asia. Singapore is my biggest readership market, so this is a region I watch closely, and a second WTA tournament in the Philippines gives it a new anchor point on the women's calendar.
The slot matters too. As the last stop before the Finals, Manila gets a week at the very end of the season, in front of the same fan base that has been filling stands for Eala all year. If SPIN.ph is right that the 250 is a three-year commitment, the event also has time to grow instead of being a one-off.
The Risk of Building Around One Player
The obvious question is what happens if Eala isn't there. Philippine media has been open about how central she is. A SPIN.ph column ahead of January's 125 called her "the main reason why we are having this event," and noted that her appearance was out of the organizers' hands because the event overlapped with the Australian Open.
That's the test for the 250, whether it can stand on its own in a year when its biggest draw has a scheduling decision to make.
What We Don't Know Yet
The venue wasn't confirmed when PHILTA made the announcement, though the Philippine Sports Commission has since said it will upgrade the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center ahead of the two 2027 events. I still haven't seen prize money, sponsors or broadcast plans. For reference, the PSC put up the $115,000 in prize money for January's 125, according to SPIN.ph, so who funds the 250 is one of the biggest questions left.
Jake Scudder
Journalist – topics of tennis
