Rivalry spills to tennis

It’s always a treat for fans whenever Ateneo and La Salle compete for bragging rights in sports. The competition brings out the best in those who wear the colors of the rival schools. And when the smoke of battle finally clears, the Blue Eagles and the Green Archers celebrate their jousting in the true spirit of sportsmanship. They shake hands, slap fives, and break bread.

That’s what competition’s all about. It’s not about making enemies but gaining friends. You fight tooth and nail to win. You shouldn’t do less. But you leave the bitterness of struggle on the playing field. Once the final buzzer sounds, you congratulate the winners and wish the losers better luck next time. No hard feelings. Nothing personal. You did your best and you walk away with heads unbowed–in victory or in defeat.

A few weeks ago, the Eagles and Archers relived their storied rivalry on the tennis courts of the Manila Polo Club. Organizers from the Taft school called it the first La Salle-Ateneo Alumni Tennis Cup. Counterparts from the Loyola campus called it the first Ateneo-La Salle Alumni Tennis Cup. Whatever. The billing wasn’t important. It was a one-day event featuring 11 matches in the open division, nine in the 35-and-above division, three in the 45-and-above division, two in the 55-and-above division, and two in the mixed doubles division. In all, there were 27 matches in the schedule.

La Salle varsity coach Roland Kraut said the staging of the dual meet was timely because of the growing public interest in tennis. It wasn’t difficult to enlist enthusiasts from both schools, he noted.

Kraut said the success of the recent University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) tennis championships was a positive sign of a resurgence of interest in the sport-regardless of age.

Kraut proudly pointed to La Salle’s glowing achievements in the UAAP this season as the spark that triggered a tennis renaissance at Taft. "Our ladies team won the championship by sweeping the first and second rounds while the men’s team fell just one game short to finish a surprising second behind defending champion UST (University of Santo Tomas)," he gloated.

The entry fee for the dual meet was P750. There were 30 Eagles and 29 Archers who saw action in the straight-8 matches. The players mixed and matched.

Former national star Felix Barrientos couldn’t play for Ateneo because of an injury but showed up to cheer for the Eagles. Another former national netter Raymund Suarez was sidelined and came to cheer for the Archers. Actor Mandy Ochoa, an ex-La Salle varsity player, begged off because of an out-of-town commitment.

Among Ateneo’s outstanding players in the dual meet were Coca-Cola president Genju Lapez, Manila Polo Club pro Marti Ilagan, and Derrick Santos. Lapez teamed with Tenet Salomon to beat Chito Joson and Benedict See, 8-5, in the 45-and-above division. Ilagan was unbeaten in three matches and Santos in two. For La Salle, the big guns were a pair of 65-year-old senior citizens, Asian Games gold medallist Johnny Jose and literature professor Bobby Kraut who used to coach softball for the Archers and wielded a mean bat himself during his varsity days. Jose and Kraut won a pair of 8-1 decisions in the 55-and-above division.

There were several familiar names in the rosters of both schools. Squash standout Duane Santos and Buboy Garovillo of the Apo Hiking Society saw action for Ateneo. Jose’s son Juanchit and Kraut’s sons Julius and Roland made it a family affair for La Salle. Juancho Macaraeg, a former Philippine juniors national player, and brother Lawrence combined to carve out an 8-1 win over Ateneo’s Stanley Ong and Mark Tan in the open division. La Salle varsity assistant coach Taddy Cruz played for his alma mater as did Dr. Jay Suntay.

As expected, the dual meet went down to the wire. With three matches left, La Salle held a precarious 13-11 lead. Then, Ateneo trimmed the gap to one after Rommel Roque and Rene Golangco defeated Gene Garcia and Vince Porsivigan, 8-5, in the 35-and-above division. The Eagles leveled the count as Gino Bautista and Sidney Mella beat Dennis Profeta and Mike Tan in an 8-7 thriller.

It boiled down to a final match in the mixed doubles. Rene Gacuma and Irene Chua sealed the outcome for La Salle after blanking Renato Bautista and Margo Flores, 8-0. The Archers took home the trophy on a slim 14-13 count.

Ateneo coach Joseph (Popet) Lizardo, Roland Kraut, and Garovillo hosted the dinner and awarding ceremonies at the Manila Polo Club after the hostilities. The Eagles and the Archers enjoyed the competition so much that they committed to make it an annual affair.

"We’re hoping to organize a bigger dual meet next year," said the 25-year-old Kraut who played and lost twice during the meet. "We took home the cup this year. We hope to take it home again next year."

The Eagles were within a feather of whisking away the title and with Barrientos expected to play next year, will no doubt be out for revenge. All in good fun, of course.

Postscript. Converse, the American brand of sportswear that produced the legendary Chuck Taylor All-Star shoes, recently signed University of the East Warrior and national team mainstay James Yap to a three-year endorsement contract. The agreement gives Yap the opportunity to wear all the latest Converse basketball shoes and apparel. Converse’s Reli de Leon said, "We got James because we feel he has all the potentials of a future superstar. At 6-3, he can practically play four different positions effectively." Reli pointed out that it’s no coincidence that two former Warriors and national stars were also Converse endorsers–Sen. Robert Jaworski and Allan Caidic.