Heartbreakers in squash

Although the Philippines pocketed only a bronze medal in squash at the ongoing 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, the future looks good for Filipinos playing the sport where height isn’t as much a critical factor as mobility, smarts or conditioning.

Robert Garcia, 19, would’ve played for gold if only he survived a five-setter against Mohammad Nfilzwan of Malaysia in the semifinals at the Makati Sports Club the other night. He settled for the bronze.

Garcia, the country’s No. 2 player, shocked Indonesian top seed Nuryanto Suparman, 9-3, 9-6, 9-6, in the quarterfinals last Tuesday. The other Filipino entry in the men’s division wasn’t as lucky.

Ricky Espinola blew a 2-1 set lead and was two points away from advancing before crumbling in the homestretch to yield a 9-1, 4-9, 6-9, 9-7, 9-2 decision to Borman Subroto of Indonesia.

Espinola, 24, ran out of steam and began to play defensively in opening the door for Subroto to storm back with a flourish. If Espinola won, he would’ve faced Timothy Arnold of Malaysia in the semifinals and it would have been no problem to advance to the finals.

But in a twist of fate, Espinola bowed out with a whimper and wound up empty-handed. He blew the chance for a sure silver by failing to close out Sobroto with a 7-6 advantage in the fourth set.

Then came Garcia’s turn.

Displaying the brashness of a star in the making, Garcia had an intimidating swagger that appeared to blunt Nfilzwan’s confidence as the match progressed. The Malaysian took the first set, 9-6, but Garcia bounced back to even it up, 9-5. Nfilzwan won the third, 9-3, then Garcia leveled after claiming the fourth, 9-7. The fifth set was a runaway as Nfilzwan pounced on Garcia’s inexperience to clinch, 9-3.

Edgar Balleber, a SEA Games veteran now on the national coaching staff with Jaime Ortua and Jun Paganpan, said Garcia’s showing was a revelation. Garcia wasn’t expected to medal at all.

Nfilzwan was steadier in the clutch, retrieving drops close to the front wall and forcing Garcia to recover balls from the deep corners. Garcia tried to tire out Nfilzwan by playing him up and down but couldn’t faze the Malaysian who patiently waited for the Filipino to commit errors.

"Malayo ang mararating ng batang "yan," said Balleber. "May kumpyansa sa sarili. Mayabang nga ng kaunti. Dapat kasi may yabang ang player sa international competition. Batang bata pa si Robert at 19 lang siya. Sa susunod na SEA Games, lalaban na ‘yan ng gold."

Espinola, a two-time SEA Gamer from Biri, Northern Samar, promised to work harder next time. Like Garcia, he’s young and talented.

Squash Rackets Association of the Philippines president Romy Ribano said he’s assembling a new generation of players to represent the country four to six years from now. In the developmental pool are a 15-year-old boy, two 13-year-old girls and a 12-year-old girl.

In the ladies division, Ribano had to recall US-based Rina Borromeo to play for the country once more because of the dearth of competitive talent here. Borromeo made her SEA Games debut in Brunei six years ago.

Borromeo, 26, flew in last week from Pennsylvania where she works as an investment banker to wear the national colors.

In her only match, Borromeo was blanked by Indonesia’s Junieta Mokalu, 9-4, 9-7, 9-3. She raced to a 4-0 lead, lost her serve then dropped nine straight points in the first set. In the second set, Borromeo was up, 7-4, but couldn’t stave off Mokalu. The third set was a cakewalk for the Indonesian.

Despite the heartaches, squash aficionados shouldn’t be discouraged. Both Espinola and Garcia went down fighting. They did the country proud, extending themselves to the limit before bowing out. Borromeo gave it her best shot, too.