Peugeot backs National Tennis Open

MANILA, Philippines - French car manufacturer Peugeot is here to give Philippine tennis the extra mileage.

From the French Open to the Rio Open and Barcelona Open, Peugeot, one of the world’s leading automotive brands, has come to support tennis in the Philippines.

The Peugeot Philippines Tennis Open (PPTO) was officially launched yesterday in the hope of discovering players that can represent the country in future international meets.

The PPTO features five regional legs leading to the National Finals.

The opening leg takes place in Cagayan de Oro Oct. 12-18, followed by Nueva Ecija Nov. 2-8, Bacolod Nov. 23-29, Cebu on Jan. 11-18 and Manila (NCR) on Feb. 1-7 next year.

Winners in each of the four divisions per leg (men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles) will converge in the national finals Feb. 15-21.

“Peugeot and tennis share a deep relationship,” said Peugeot Philippines president Glen Dasig during the press launch at the Valle Verde Country Club.

“As shown by our sponsorship of the Roland-Garros, we at Peugeot would like to ignite the same love for the game in the Philippines,” he said.

To spice things up, Peugeot will bring the national champions to Paris to personally witness the 2016 French Open.

The tournament also offers cash prizes of as much as P20,000 to the singles champions in the regional legs to P40,000 in the national finals.

It is open to players aged 13 and above. To register, players must head to the nearest Peugeot dealership or log in at www.peugeottennis.ph.

The entry of Peugeot comes at a time when Philippine tennis is in dire need of a major backer.

Dasig said the PPTO is just the start of what should be a long-term partnership between Peugeot and Philippine tennis.

Peugeot Philippines has also signed a memorandum of agreement in support of the Ateneo tennis varsity teams.

“We are planting the seeds in Philippine tennis,” said Peugeot Philippines marketing and communications director Dong Magsajo. 

Also present in the press launch were Peugeot Philippines digital marketing and CRM specialist Maria Isabel Latinazo, PPTO tournament director Francisco Santos Jr, and tennis players PJ Tierro and Marian Jade Capadocia.

“With solid support and appropriate funding from the government and the private sector, we at Peugeot Philippines are confident that our Filipino tennis players will not only watch in the sidelines,” said Dasig.

“But will one day be serving aces in Grand Slam tournaments around the world,” he added.