Crowd goes gaga over Mamiit

There is no denying the huge crowd turnout at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Courts every time a Filipino player strides on court. Well, especially if it’s Fil-Am player Cecil Mamiit.

"We have a very strong team this year. Now that we have Eric Taino, Denise Dy, Anja Peter, Riza Zalameda and, of course, Cecil Mamiit, the country definitely has the best team ever assembled for the Southeast Asian Games," said RP team manager Jean Henri Lhuillier. Philta, led by its president Manuel Misa, is equally supportive of the team’s campaign for gold.

Mamiit steered the Philippine men’s team to its first gold in the Southeast Asian Games since the group of Felix Barrientos, Roland So, Robert Angelo and Camoy Palahang did the feat in 1993.

In just a week, the 29-year old Mamiit has endeared himself to tennis fans with his cool moves on and off the court. He already showed a great drive to play his best for the national flag, leading his compatriots against equally impressive players from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Not only does Mamiit exhibit superb tennis while on court, but he also displays a great sense of humor and audience rapport — dancing and chanting ‘Ole, Ole, Ole!’ to the delight of the Filipino fans. – Nelson Beltran