Women’s tennis to steal thunder from men

Our women’s tennis players to the Southeast Asian Games share at least four things in common: they’re young, they’re playing in their first Philippines SEA Games, and want to make a good impression. And, they’re unfazed by never having seen any of the opponents they will face at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

"It’s not as if we haven’t played against players we haven’t seen before," says a confident Denise Dy, a 16-year old student out of Laurel Springs High School in San Jose, California. "You just have to play your game, and not let them make you play theirs. We’ve done if before."

The managers’ meeting and draw for the team events will be held at 4 p.m. on November 25. The men’s and women’s team events will be played from November 25 to 28, with the draw for the individual events being held on the afternoon of the 28th. The men’s singles, women’s singles and mixed doubles matches will be played from November 29 to December 1. The men’s and women’s doubles will run through December 3 and 4, along with the finals in other events.

The team also includes 20-year old Czarina Mae Arevalo, a freshman at the Ateneo de Manila University; 19-year Riza Zalameda, a sophomore at UCLA; and 17-year old Filipina-German Anja Vanessa Peter, who has been shuttling back and forth from Germany to the Philippines since she was a little girl.

Fortunately for the women, they have been dominating the on-going Holcim tournament, a big boost to the awareness for the Games.

"People have been very nice to us," reveals Zalameda. "They recognize us, and we’ve met a lot of people who wish us well and promise to cheer for us. They’ve been very warm."

All are one in saying, however, that the sport could catch up with other countries if only there were more players and more tennis centers. However, it hasn’t been high on the priority list of the government.

"It could be more competitive, like in Germany," declares Peter, who reached the quarterfinals of the tough German Open in both singles and doubles last June. "There, you have thousands of players to play against, so you really have to work extra hard, and stay sharp all the time."

In 1991, the men’s tennis team stole the limelight, with Felix Barrientos winning three gold medals and missing a fourth by a mere match point. Barrientos, a pillar of several Davis Cup teams, came in a very close second to swimmer Eric Buhain in the voting for Outstanding Male Athlete of those Games. This time around, even with world-ranked Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino planing in to help the cause, the women’s team expects to make heads turn.

"The great thing about this team is that they’re all very good and very young," says Philta tennis organizer Ajay Pathak. "They will be able to compete for the country for the next six or seven years and be in peak form."

Having competed in many professionally-run events overseas, the players breathe a sigh of relief that they’ve found a team manager who has played the sport and understands the players’ need like Jean Henri Lhuillier.

"He’s been fantastic," gushes Zalameda. "I wish there were more Jean Henris. He really understands what athletes need and gives it to us. Even in the States, it’s hard to find sponsors, because you have to keep proving yourself in tournaments and with rankings. I wish I could bring him back with us."

Though Thailand has a very strong team this time around, some of its best players will reportedly not be coming to Manila. Regardless, our young female aces vow that they will make a statement when the matches begin Saturday.