PSA honors Mitsubishi for jr tennis

MANILA, Philippines - The illustrious junior tennis tournament the country has been hosting the past 25 years will get no less than a special award from the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA).

The Mitsubishi Lancer International Junior Tennis Championship is set to be elevated into the Hall of Fame by the country’s oldest media organization during its Annual Awards Night co-presented by Milo and San Miguel Corp. on Feb. 16.

For more than two decades, the annual netfest served as the breeding ground of some of the world’s finest players and sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) until its final staging when it turned 25 last year.

Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt and world doubles champion Leander Paes are some of the renowned netters who once saw action in the Mitsubishi Lancer tilt, while among the locals there were Francesca La’O, Jennifer Saret and Maricris Fernandez.

The meet is also considered a Grade One tournament by the ITF, which means the level of competition is a lot tougher and more challenging.

Past personalities inducted in the Hall of Fame by the PSA during its annual awards night which has Smart, MVP Sports Foundation, and Meralco as principal sponsors and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) as major sponsor are boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, bowlers Paeng Nepomuceno and Bong Coo, basketball greats Caloy Loyzaga and Lauro Mumar, pro boxers Pancho Villa and Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, amateur boxer Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco, track stars Lydia De Vega and Mona Sulaiman, swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso, tennis player Felicisimo Ampon, Asia’s first Grandmaster Eugene Torre, and golfers Ben Arda and Celestino Tugot.

“After celebrating its silver anniversary last year, it is with great pride and honor for the PSA to elevate to its roster of Hall of Famer the Mitsubishi Lancer International Junior Tennis Championship,” said PSA president Jun Lomibao of the Business Mirror.

The Hall of Fame award is the latest to be included in the honor list of the yearly rite also backed by ICTSI, Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PSCO), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), Rain or Shine, Globalport, Air21, Maynilad, Accel, and National University.

Those earlier named include the 1973 Philippine men’s basketball team (Lifetime Achievement Award), Tim Cone (Excellence in Basketball), Alyssa Valdez (Ms. Volleyball), Jean Pierre Sabido (Mr. Taekwondo), and Princess Superal and Tony Lascuna (Golfers of the Year).

Fighting for the prestigious Athlete of the Year honor are BMX rider Daniel Caluag, boxing champion Donnie Nietes, and archer Gabriel Moreno.