“A landmark moment”: Masters tennis arrives in the Philippines
For the first time ever, the Philippines held an event on the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour (“WTMT”) calendar.
Held from 26 August to 6 September 2025, the MT200 Cebu City was played on outdoor clay courts at the Asmara Urban Resort & Lifestyle Village in Cebu City.
Tournament Director Ilynn Hupano told itftennis.com: “this was a landmark moment for our tennis community. Hosting a WTMT tournament underscored our nation’s growing ability to deliver international-calibre events and showcased the professionalism, dedication, and enthusiasm of everyone involved in bringing Masters tennis to our country”.
With 64 participants from nations as geographically diverse as Great Britain, Iraq, and Argentina, this event was certainly a huge success for the Philippines.
Hupano continued: “this event positions the Philippines as an emerging destination for international tennis. It is a source of pride and inspiration for athletes, officials, and supporters nationwide.”
Matt Byford, Executive Director of Masters Tennis, added: “The ITF warmly welcomes the Philippines as a new host nation, providing a fantastic opportunity for players to enjoy the many benefits that the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour offers to everyone involved – including the ability to travel and visit incredible locations such as the Philippines. We are focussed on growing the Tour across Asia and look forward to providing many more opportunities such as this in the future”.
Generally, 2025 is proving another exciting year for Asia on the WTMT, with record tournament numbers expected. Various nations have also either joined or returned to the calendar.
In addition to the Philippines, Bhutan is expected to make its debut on the WTMT later this year while Malaysia will return for the first time since 2015, with the MT400 Kuching scheduled for 22-26 October.
In addition, the 2025 World Masters Games was held in Taipei and New Taipei City in May, a hugely successful event which has helped Masters tennis continue to grow in Asia.
Alongside Alexandra Eala’s breakthrough success in professional tennis and the recent return of World Tennis Tour Juniors events to the Philippines, these are exciting times for tennis in this Southeast Asian archipelago – at all levels.