Davis Cup in Cebu

After much thought I decided to drive to Mactan last Sunday afternoon to attend the press conference at the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa that would announce a major sporting event that would be held for the first time in Cebu.

I made sure to go there early as I don't really get too far in Mactan as my trips there are often only to the airport or the Mactan Island Golf Club and was worried about getting lost. Well, I remembered where to pass, but almost missed the entrance gate of the resort.

I realized that the reason why my good friend Efren Belarmino, general manager of Plantation Bay, insisted that I'd go there is that the event was historical in the sense that although it has been hosted by Manila, it has never been done in Cebu.

We're talking here about the Davis Cup tie between the Philippines and Japan on March 4 to 6, 2011.

Mayor Paz Radaza of Lapu-Lapu City was there along with Councilor Harry Radaza and other city officials.

There was also Cecil Mamiit, the top-ranked Pinoy tennis player, who has been designated as the captain of the Philippine team.

There is a lot of work that needs to be done to put the event together for the next four months, but I am positive that everything will be in place very soon including the new clay court that will be built on the area where the two courts of the resort are now presently located.

Bleachers will be provided by the Lapu-Lapu City government and these would be removable structures that can be used in other areas.

The drive was surely worth it even if the traffic was quite bad going back through the narrow roads leading to the resort on my way to the office.

General (manager) Efren surely knows how to tickle my fancy and even gave me a hint of what to expect when he called last Saturday using the phone of my fellow sports columnist and cousin John Pages. 

It got me thinking that if it was John, then it had to be either tennis of running.

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Cecil Mamiit, who has defeated the likes of Andre Agassi and Michael Chang in the ATP Tour, said that it takes a lot of exposure to international events for a tennis player to really develop his skills.

This is the sad reason why many of our tennis players, who do very well in the age group level, fail to move any step further as the cost of sending them to tournaments abroad are prohibitive.

Randy Villanueva of the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) said that an international tennis player spends about $30,000 a year to join tournaments. The amount is doubled if the player travels with a coach.

This March, expect a lot of tennis parents to be in the audience to accompany their kids. 

I also hope that after the Davis Cup tie, Lapu-Lapu City can host other international tennis events that would allow the local players to match their skills with those from other countries.

This doesn't sound like dreaming anymore, it can happen.

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MILESTONES: Belated birthday greetings to my compadre Renato 'Oly' S. Dychangco, Jr., who celebrated last Sunday.

Belated greetings also go to Wyndee Yncierto Yu, who celebrated last Monday and to Edwin 'Power' Rojo, Irene Sino Cruz, and Jerry Paul Mañus, who celebrated yesterday.

Today's greetings go to Marivic Ygot-Orig, Ralph Garlitos, Ruel Rosillo, and Hemrmosilla 'Momot' Irizari.

More power to all of you! - THE FREEMAN