Super Serena star of the show

MANILA, Philippines - The stars shone brightly at the IPTL (International Premier Tennis League) welcome dinner in Philippine Mavericks’ co-owner Haresh Hiranand’s residence in Dasmariñas Village, Makati, last Saturday and they were on the ground not in the sky.

The brightest star of all was world No. 1 women’s tennis player Serena Williams, the center of attraction from the moment she arrived with the other luminaries seeing action in the three-day Manila leg of the IPTL’s second season that began at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena yesterday. The players flew in on a chartered flight from Japan where they opened the season with six matches over three days in Kobe. World No. 5 Rafael Nadal didn’t play in Japan and went straight to Manila on his own. Nadal couldn’t make the dinner because of his late arrival that night.

IPTL founder Mahesh Bhupathi, a four-time Grand Slam doubles champion and a three-time Grand Slam singles quarterfinalist, was all smiles as he recounted how the second season got off to a rousing start in Kobe where the latest franchise Japan Warriors hosted last week. The 41-year-old Indian tennis legend said he’s looking forward to three exciting days of top-caliber action in Manila.

Williams, 34, is anchoring the Mavericks team this season. The other players on the Philippine squad are Australian legend Mark Philippoussis, world No. 9 Richard Gasquet of France, world No. 14 Milos Raonic of Montenegro (now based in Canada), Jarmila Gajdosova of Slovakia, Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia (now based in Australia) and Fil-Am doubles specialist Treat Huey.

In Kobe, the Mavericks lost to Singapore, 26-24 and beat Japan, 28-24. The highlight of the win over the Warriors was Williams and Huey teaming up to beat Leander Paes and Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in mixed doubles, 6-3. It was Williams’ first IPTL victory this season. Against Singapore, she lost to Karolina Pliskova, 6-4. Against Japan, she bowed to Kurumi Nara, 6-4. Williams hasn’t played in over two months since losing to Italy’s Roberta Vinci in the semifinals of the US Open, ending her hopes of becoming the first female player to capture a calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988.

For Huey, it was a dream matchup. “Serena hardly plays doubles and it was my first time to play with her,” said Huey, a mainstay on the Philippine Davis Cup team. “She hasn’t played for a bit and she’s now getting ready for next year. She lost her two singles matches in Japan but she’s still unbelievable. Her strokes remain solid. As the season goes on, she’ll be unbeatable. There’s no better woman player in the world. It was an honor to play with her in mixed doubles.” Williams has announced she’ll open the new year by playing for the US at the Hopman Cup in Perth starting Jan. 3.

Despite her loss at the US Open, Williams is ranked world No. 1 with career earnings of over $74 Million and 21 Grand Slam singles titles under her belt.

Last Saturday, Hiranand was a gracious host. A makeshift stage was set up for live music and an auction was held to raise funds for the construction and rehabilitation of tennis courts in the country. A total of $17,000 was banked with $3,000 going for a Nadal playing outfit, $2,400 for a set of IPTL signed playing cards and $2,000 for a worn playing outfit of former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, among others.

Hiranand, SM Prime Holdings president Hans Sy, Philippine Tennis Association chairman Jean Henri Lhuillier, Philstar.com president Kevin Belmonte and Balaji Swaminathan own Match Point International Tennis Events, Inc. which is the IPTL’s Philippine franchise holder.

The welcome dinner brought in an array of high-powered guests including Secretary of Trade of Industry Gregory Domingo, Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Philippe Lhuillier, Chris Po of Century Tuna, property developer J. J. Atencio, RFM president/CEO and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion and PBA five-time Coach of the Year and TV5 executive Chot Reyes and wife Toni & Guy Philippines managing director Cherry.

Williams was seated at the Mavericks table flanked by Gajdosova and Tomljanovic. Fans and well-wishers crowded around Williams who accommodated every request for a photo with a smile. “I’m happy to be back in Manila,” said Williams who played mixed doubles and singles for Singapore against the Mavericks at the MOA Arena last season. Ivanovic, playing for the United Arab Emirates Royals, was another magnet during the affair.  Others who drew attention were 6-4 Nick Kyrgios of the Singapore Slammers, 6-5 Tomas Berdych of the Royals and the Mavericks’ 6-5 Milos Raonic. They literally stood out from the rest.

Huey said the Japanese fans came out in droves to support the Warriors last week. “Kei Nishikori is like a rock star in Japan but while the stadium was packed, the fans weren’t as loud as our fans in Manila last year,” he said. “I hope our fans came out to cheer for us this season, too. We’ve got a great team led by Serena.”

Huey said the ride from the Nobu Hotel to Dasmariñas Village took over an hour with police escorts. “Last year, we were at EDSA Shangri-La Hotel and it took over two hours to go to the MOA Arena,” he said. “We’re used to the traffic now. But it’s wonderful that we’re staying at the Nobu, which is an excellent hotel, and it’s just a few minutes away from the arena. We’re all excited to play for our Filipino fans.”