Home hope Eva Desvignes targets back-to-back S’pore Tennis Invitational Cup title

SINGAPORE – Playing in front of a home crowd is a rare opportunity for Eva Desvignes, and having had a taste of it at the 2025 Singapore Tennis Open (STO), the 18-year-old wants more.

The Singaporean made her tournament debut in 2025 as an unranked wildcard, drawing a tough test against China’s Wei Sijia and losing 6-1, 6-2 in the first round of the qualifiers.

The experience of competing against a higher-ranked opponent on home soil has whetted her appetite.

She said: “It was nerve-racking but also really exciting. A lot of people came to watch, so that’s not something that I usually have when I play matches.”

This time, Eva returns to the event with a world ranking of 872nd and another wildcard into qualifying.

The stakes have also risen along with the tournament – the STO has been upgraded from a WTA 250 to a WTA 500 event in 2026, drawing a stronger international field and putting a greater premium on a qualifying spot.

The star-studded field at The Kallang’s OCBC Arena includes Filipina Alexandra Eala (world No. 18), Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva (No. 5), 2025 Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova (No. 11) and defending champion Elise Mertens (No. 19).

Eva said: “What’s different this year is that I’ve played many more pro tournaments, so I’m a bit more prepared, and I think my level is higher this year as well, so I’m a bit more self-confident.

“But it’s a bigger tournament, so I’m nervous. But at the same time, I’m really excited to play.

“I can learn so much from them (top pros) by playing against them and watching them, even seeing them behind the scenes, how they practise and everything they do.”

Singapore national coach Daniel Heryanto believes that playing at the STO will be good exposure for Eva, despite the huge gap in rankings with the other professionals.

The 56-year-old said: “She wants to be a pro, so playing in a bigger tournament like this, we give her opportunity to experience it, she’s good enough to compete with those players.

“Depending on the draw, she has a lot of experience with the wildcard last year to help her and to improve her game. She has also been playing consistently on the pro tour and I feel that it has made a lot of a difference, but the draw matters.”

Eva is also aiming to help Team Singapore win back-to-back titles at the Singapore Tennis Invitational Cup (STIC), which will be held from Sept 23 to 26 at the Kallang Tennis Hub.

She said: “Last year, we managed to win it, so hopefully this year we can defend our title and win it again, that would be nice.”

Singapore’s eight-member squad will see a refresh for the men’s team, with all four players making their debuts at the STIC.

Bill Chan, who was the Republic’s first male tennis player to compete at junior Grand Slam events, including the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, will not be competing this time as the 19-year-old is studying at Harvard University.

Jaden Tan, 19, who represented Singapore in the 2026 Davis Cup, said: “Being selected for the STIC means a lot to me, and it is an honour to represent Singapore and I’m grateful for the opportunity. Given that it is the first time that my teammates and I are playing in this tournament, we will give our very best and play with confidence.

“There is definitely a little bit of pressure, knowing that we won the title last year, but as long as we keep our focus on becoming better, prioritising progress instead of perfection, I’m sure we will be able to defend this title.”