When I was growing up, tennis was probably one of the bigger sports in the country. Next to basketball, tennis events, especially the Davis Cup ties, were crowd drawers at the Rizal Memorial Sport Complex and at Plaza Dilao where the PCA Open were held.
Felix Barrientos, Roland So, Raymond Suarez, Manny Tolentino, Dyan Castillejo, and Rod Rafael were just a few names that were big during the 80s and 90s and every Davis Cup tie held in the country was closely followed. Who could forget Barrientos’ scintillating upset of former world number 5 Kevin Curren of South Africa in 1991? The Filipino ace beat the Australian and Wimbledon finalist, 1-6, 6-1, 7-5, in the Hong Kong Open to register the biggest win of his career and probably the best ever showing of a Filipino tennis player against one of the best in the sport then.
After the glorious 80s and early 90s, tennis for some unknown reasons, some say due to politics within the NSA, was relegated to the back burner. There were occasional triumphs of Treat Huey, Nino Alcantara, AJ Lim, Marian Capadocia, the Patrimonio sisters, and some. What was once a source of medals in the SEA Games became a dry well.
Until Alex Eala came along and reignited the country’s long lost love for tennis and longing for its next tennis heroes to carry the flag and country in the limelight.
The Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) is hoping the current success of Eala will bring back tennis once more to its glory days and for the sport to regain its popularity especially among the new generation of fans who had no idea that tennis has been a national pastime even before Eala put the Philippines in the tennis world map.
In an unexpected but most welcome opportunity, The Designated Kit Man was able to talk with John Rey Tiangco, yup the former tennis player himself, the current chief executive of Navotas and also the secretary-general of PHILTA as he shared the latest updates on the biggest tennis event in the country in a long time.
Tiangco said they are expecting 40 top caliber players from all over the world to participate in the upcoming Philippine Women’s Open. Set to unfold on January 26 until the 31st at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, the historic event will be the first-ever Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 tournament in the country.
Tiangco admitted that Eala was one of the primary reasons why PHILTA pushed for the hosting of the event.
“The reason why there is an interest for the WTA is because of Alex. She is actually the inspiration, whether she can play or not in the Open. Let’s give credit where credit is due,” Tiangco said.
He clarified, however, that while Eala was initially given a wild card in the tournament, it is not a guarantee that she can actually compete. He explained that the schedule of the Philippine Women’s Open might be in conflict with Eala’s campaign in this year’s first Grand Slam event, the Australian Open.
“We wish the best for Alex. Of course, we want her to succeed in the Australian Open, that is a bigger tournament for her and either way, if she goes deep in the Australian Open, that will be very good for Philippine tennis,” Tiangco explains.
Whether Eala can play or not in her home tournament, Tiangco says she has done a lot in putting tennis once more in the limelight. Moreover, she has inspired the next generation of tennis players eager to follow her many firsts, proving that a Filipino can take the best of what the tennis world could offer and thrive.
The need to sustain this momentum is a must for PHILTA. Tiangco admitted opportunities like these are rare and with PHILTA president Eric Olivarez, also a former tennis player and current Paranaque lawmaker, leading the way, local tennis is definitely on its way back to relevance in a country obsessed with basketball and volleyball.
“There is a lot of young talents in the country but we have to nurture them like what happened to Alex. She trained abroad. Competed overseas. She has both talent, proper training and very supportive parents. So ‘yun ang gusto nating gawin. Train future tennis players at a young age,” Tiangco said.
He also added that PHILTA’s work has been cut out for them. Aside from nurturing potential players, they need to identify them first. To do this, PHILTA will embark on a long term and an inclusive grassroots program to benefit, too, players who are outside Metro Manila, in the provinces and more.
“This program will also prioritize the training of coaches, too. We want a lot of coaches that will push for the sport in more areas in the country. The more people play the sport, the more chances to discover talented players,” Tiangco added.
He says there is a lot of work to be done. And words may not mean much for the jaded local tennis fans. He maintains, however, that now is the right time for tennis to bounce back into relevance once more. No shortcuts though.
Another trivia, the Navotas mayor is the father of Filipinas U-17 forward Taylor Tiangco. The squad booked a ticket to the 2026 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup in China after sweeping their group fixtures last year.
Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!
For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_cabatbat@yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat
