...the state of PH tennis

Huey: PH tennis on the upswing

By Marc Anthony Reyes
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Thursday, December 13th, 2012


TREAT Huey’s next focus is to put Philippine tennis back into the mainstream.

Treat Huey

Already the world’s No. 35 in doubles, the country’s Davis Cup star said he wants to see the Filipino netters get the same accolade as the country’s basketball, football and boxing stars.

And based on the success of the recent Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Open, the 27-year-old lefty known for his cool demeanor, said PH tennis is on the right path.

“It’s been great. PCA is the biggest tournament here in the Philippines. Everybody coming back to play and having Johnny (Arcilla) and all the Davis Cup team here is good for Philippine tennis,” said Huey, who finished runner-up in doubles and reached the quarterfinals in singles last week.

“Trying to make tennis bigger and bigger in the Philippines is I think what we did this week. It was great and there were a lot of fans that came out,” he added.

Huey cited the help being provided by long-time patron Jean Henri Lhuillier, who supports the country’s Davis Cup campaigns and vows to once again bankroll the PH Cuppers stint against Syria in February in a Group 2 tie that is slated to be held here.

“Jean Henri and Cebuana Lhuillier helped me so much. He helped me in travelling and is supporting me. We want to make tennis more mainstream and we are trying to do that,” Huey added.

He noted that with the present crop of young players, the country has what it takes to shoot back into Group 1 and once again rule the Southeast Asian Games next year and even the Asian Games in 2014.

Huey, who is looking to break into the top 20 in doubles by yearend, is preparing with partner Dominic Inglot for the Australian Open in January.

...the US teen tennis champ

'Shy' Pinay teen rises to become champion tennis player in US

ANDREI MEDINA,

GMA News

July 25, 2012

Her mom describes her as a shy person, who loves to sit in a quiet corner, listening to music. Now, sixteen-year-old Marian Jade Capadocia has become a celebrity of sorts after becoming the single and doubles tennis champion for the 18 and under categories of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

In an interview with GMA News Online on Wednesday, Charito Capadocia, Marian Jade’s mom, said, “Tahimik lang siya lagi, hindi mo aakalaing tennis player kasi lagi lang siya nasa gilid at nakikinig sa music.”

“Mabait din siya, disiplinado, masipag at ayaw niya mag-home study,” Charito added.

Charito said Marian Jade, who recently graduated from high school at the Arellano University Mabini Campus, has been playing tennis since age eight.

Charito and her husband Joenito were the ones who encouraged Marian Jade to play tennis, being former tennis players themselves.

Charito said they are weighing their options on whether to let Marian study abroad or in the Philippines.

“Maraming offers and invitations kahit sa America pero focus muna kami sa tennis for now kasi nasa peak pa siya. Yung schooling nandiyan lang naman yan,” Charito said.

US champion

Marian Jade  became the 18 and under single and doubles tennis champion for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Canyon Crest Summer Junior Open Tournament held from July 14 to 15 and July 21 to 22 in Riverside, California.

Marian Jade is currently #1 in the 18 and under and women singles category in the Philippines.

She partnered with Marian Ante for the doubles match, eventually winning the championship.

According to Charito, Marian Jade's achievements include:

• winning gold in the “Palarong Pambansa” thrice, with the most recent being last year

• 2011 South East Asia tournament bronze medalist, one of youngest at 16

• 2011 Champion of Women’s Udon Dhani Open in Thailand, March 12 to 15

• 2012 Cainta Open Champion, April 9 to 15

One of the highlights of her career was when she won the Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Open last December 5, 2011 when she defeated Clarice Patrimonio during the finals becoming the youngest winner in PCA history.

Patrimonio is the daughter of Philippine basketball legend, Alvin ‘The Captain’ Patrimonio and is currently the # 2 of the women’s single category in the Philippines. - VVP, GMA News

...the rich and famous

Pacquiao among top earning int'l athletes

 

ABS-CBNnews.com

07/17/2012

 

 

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino fight king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao is included in Sports Illustrated's (SI) "International 20," a list of the highest earning international athletes for the past year.

 

Pacquiao ranked No. 6 after raking in $39 million in total earnings.

The SI list did not include Pacquiao's purse from his controversial loss to Timothy Bradley last June 9, as it only counted boxing purses from June 2011 to May 2012.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s rival, unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., lived up to his "Money" moniker by topping SI's "Fortunate 50" list, a different list that tracks the highest-earning athletes in the United States.
Mayweather topped the list after earning $85 million last year.

"It's hard to decide which fact is more impressive: that Mayweather needed just two paydays to make it to the top, or that he did it without any endorsement income," SI wrote.

"Mayweather's wins over Victor Ortiz in September 2011 and Miguel Cotto in May 2012, brought him $40-M and $45-M, respectively – including his cut of the pay-per-view receipts," it added.

Mayweather is currently serving an 87-day jail sentence for a guilty plea to a 2010 domestic violence charge. The unbeaten boxer, who last year did not make the "Fortunate 50," is also the world’s highest paid athlete, according to Forbes.

Pacquiao is No. 2 in Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes in 2012.

It was the first time in the history of the "Fortunate 50" that golfer Tiger Woods did not occupy the top spot. Woods is ranked No. 3 this year with a total of $56,440,238 in 2012 earnings.

One of his golfing rivals, Phil Mickelson, is at No. 2 with a total earnings of $60,763,488.

NBA superstars Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James of the Miami Heat round out the top five.

The "International 20" list, meanwhile, was topped by tennis superstar and world No. 1 Roger Federer, his fourth straight year at the top.

The Swiss maestro earned $51.4 million in 2012. Football superstar David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy was second, with $46 million.

Footballers Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), and Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso completed the top five.

...the top Athletes

Mayweather, Pacquiao top athlete income list

Agence France-Presse

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

NEW YORK – Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, the boxers that fight fans worldwide want to see in the ring together, topped the list of the 100 highest-paid athletes released by Forbes magazine on Monday.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. AP/INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

Mayweather, who ranked No. 1 for making $85 million off two fights last year, is serving a three-month jail sentence for domestic battery in Las Vegas, having failed in a bid to serve the remainder of his time under house arrest.

While his doctors and co-manager warned that staying behind bars might cause irreparable damage to his fitness and risk his boxing career, the undefeated US fighter is expected to climb back into the ring, likely later this year.

But Mayweather will not be fighting Filipino icon Pacquiao in the mega-bout that boxing fans have sought for years.

Pacquiao, second on the list at $62 million from earnings and endorsements, lost to unbeaten US fighter Tim Bradley on July 9 and they are set to fight a rematch in November.

Tiger Woods, who had topped the Forbes list since 2001, fell to third this time with $59.4 million, his earnings off $16 million from the previous year and by half since his peak in 2009, mostly due to lost endorsement deals.

It was in 2009 that Woods, a 14-time major champion chasing the 18 major titles won by Jack Nicklaus, saw a sex scandal erupt that caused him to start his 2010 season late and 2011 saw Woods nagged by injuries.

Woods went on a 17-month win drought until he won last March at Bay Hill in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He followed up with a victory earlier this month at the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial but has not won a major since the 2008 US Open.

Miami Heat star LeBron James ranks fourth at $53 million, the highest of 13 basketball players and on the list. The Heat are playing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals as James seeks his first league crown.

While a lockout last year trimmed 20 percent off his salary, endorsement deals boosted his total and a marketing partnership made him a stakeholder in English Premier League football side Liverpool.

Swiss tennis star Roger Federer was fifth at $52.7 million followed by NBA star Kobe Bryant at $52.3 million, US golfer Phil Mickelson at $47.8 million, English football star David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy at $46 million and Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo at $42.5 million, with the top annual salary of any athlete in any league at $20 million.

American football boasts 30 players on the list, topped by No. 10 Peyton Manning, the former Indianapolis Colts star who was cut in March and signed with the Denver Broncos for $96 million over six years.

Manning’s $42.4 million ranks 10th overall and he continues to be the top endorsement pitchman among gridiron stars.

In total, the top 100 made $2.6 billion.

Only two women, both tennis players, cracked the list – Russian star Maria Sharapova, the newest career Grand Slam winner after her French Open final triumph earlier this month, and China’s Li Na, the 2011 French Open champion.

Sharapova was 26th at $27.9 million, thanks in great measure to huge global endorsement totals as well as $5.9 million in prize money over the past year.

Li was 81st overall at $18.4 million, with seven new endorsement deals after becoming the first Asian-born player to win a Grand Slam singles crown.

Cricket star Mahendra Singh Dhoni ranked No. 31 and India batsman Sachin Tendulkar was No. 78.

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, the reigning 100- and 200-meter Olympic champion and world record-holder who figures to be a top attraction at the London Olympics, was 63rd with $20.3 million.

...the dou in Dutch open

British-Pinoy duo reaches finals of Dutch tennis tourney

by Loui Galicia

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

08/06/2011

Photo by By Loui Galicia, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

THE HAGUE -- A tennis tandem composed of a British and a Filipino reached the doubles finals of the recently concluded Thor de Bataaf Tennis Open in The Hague.

The duo, however, failed in their bid to win the title as they bowed to their Dutch opponents.

Despite the 6-3 6-3 scoreline, the Dutch champions said it was not an easy fight.

“I don’t find it was easy at all. It was pretty hard. They played very good,” Bas Schenk said.

“They were tough opponents so we played very good for us. Somehow we managed to break them in the first set,” added Jochem Wiersma.

For the only Filipino in the tournament of the Dutch-dominated tennis club, reaching the finals is already a big honor.

“They have the height advantage and we have to compensate for that one in terms of speed perhaps and because of their length and height they've got wider coverage at the net. It's like hitting through a wall when playing them, otherwise everything is equal,” Rommel Loveranes, a Pinoy expat said.

His British partner, also an expat, commended the Pinoy’s style in tennis.

“He is really fast, one of the quickest players I’ve played with across the net. Excellent volleys, excellent smash, excellent forehand, the only thing is only his backhand…but that's not exactly a weakness per se,” David Flaherty said.

The tandem of Loveranes and Flaherty has already moved on.

This time, they hope to make it to the finals and win the championship at the Mets Tennis Open.

...the tennis ladies

Patrimonio, Mendoza win titles in Brunei

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Philippine Daily Inquirer
03/13/2011

MANILA, Philippiines—Filipinos Clarice Patrimonio and Jurence Mendoza rounded off a big week by each winning a title in the 43rd Brunei ITF Championships in Bandar Seri Begawan on Sunday.

The 17-year-old Patrimonio, daughter of PBA great Alvin Patrimonio and wife, Cindy, secured her second ITF singles title with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over giant-killer Hsu Ching-wen of Chinese-Taipei.

Jurence Mendoza then teamed up with Brian Yeung Pak-long of Hong Kong for a come-from-behind 4-6, 6-2, 10-2 victory over second seeds Ega Uneputty and Indra Wijaya of Indonesia to bag the boys’ doubles crown.

It was the first doubles title for Mendoza and the fourth straight for Yeung in the Asian circuit.

Patrimonio’s coach, Karl Santamaria, said the victory of Clarice, the No. 2 seed, did not reflect the tense struggle in a match that lasted two and a half hours.

Hsu, who had earlier beaten top seed Katherine Ip of Hong Kong and world No. 840-ranked Voni Darlina of Indonesia, engaged Clarice in hard-fought rallies.

The Filipino appeared to get stronger as the match progressed and, with the predominantly Filipino crowd cheering her on, overwhelmed the Taiwanese in the second set, 6-0.

Patrimonio reached the finals via a clinical victory over Chinese Taipei’s Ruan Hui-zhen, 6-1, 6-2.

Patrimonio missed a twin victory as her pairing with Thailand’s Siriporn Phakamad, bowed to Japan’s Mao Nishiguchi and Ayano Sonoda, 6-7, 6-7, in the finals.