Month: February 2011

For nearly an hour yesterday morning, I watched the Japanese players practice. They wore Yonex, a Japanese brand. Go Soeda, their No.1, donned a bright red shirt. His forehand and double-fisted backhand were just as bright: cross-court, down-the-line—he could pound the yellow ball to any corner. Their second-ranked netter, Tatsuma Ito, wore blue. Tall at 5’11”, his serve boomed. It echoed around the newly-build stadium of Plantation Bay. He’ll be a formidable and tall sight for our Pinoys.

Good thing the sun reappeared yesterday. After a full day of rain last Sunday, it was outdoor-court practice time for the players. The Japanese practiced from 10 a.m. until 12 noon. Our Filipino Davis Cuppers took the court from 2 to 4 p.m. After that, it was back to the Japanese. That’s how it will be today until Thursday—two hours alternating time until Friday’s “The Battle of Mactan.”

On paper, give the edge to the visitors. Go Soeda, based on the Davis Cup website, is ranked world no. 108. That’s high. His teammate, Tatsuma Ito, is world 168. Their third player, Yuichi Sugita, is no. 175.

Check out the flying flag on top of the waterfalls

The Pinoys? Cecil Mamiit, who had a ranking as high as no. 72, is now at 738 in the world. Treat Huey (doubles ranking no. 101) sits at 886 in singles. Based on numbers, we lose. But Davis Cup is not about numbers. So many a DC tie I’ve witnessed where—given the external factors (climate, surface, cheering/home court)—a much higher-ranked player succumbs to the pressure and wilts. He loses.

As a Filipino, we hope this happens. We hope, like Manny Pacquiao, who rose from obscurity to defy every handicap facing him (remember how we thought Oscar de la Hoya would destroy MP?)—we hope for the same from Pacquiao’s countrymen in tennis. Or how the Azkals—anonymous before last December—have now transformed into the darlings of sport. The ball is round. The sun, too, is round. We hope these two combine like doubles partners to weaken the invaders.

Looking down? We hope so.

SEE MORE DAVIS CUP PHOTOS HERE.

Only five days remain before the first serve is smashed to start the Japan-Philippines tennis battle. Why make the trip to Plantation Bay Resort and Spa from March 4 to 6?

1) Be part of history. Never before in the sport of tennis has an event of this magnitude landed in our shores. This is major, major. No, it’s not a major Grand Slam event (there are only four: in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York) but, in this hemisphere, this is major.

2) Japan. Our country faces no better “enemy” than the Japanese. We have a long history with our neighbors. Our conquerors during World War II in 1941, they have also dominated our tennis rivalry at the Davis Cup. Out of 26 encounters, they’ve won 17, including our last meeting 12 months ago…

3) Beatable. Which brings me to “winnability.” Although we got blanked, 5-0, when we faced Japan in March of 2010, there are several changes involved today. First, the venue. Davis Cup is unique because the hosting alternates. This week, we host Japan; last year, we were the visitors and they played our squad on a lightning-fast indoor court with 5,000 screaming, wailing, howling Japanese. Now, it’s the opposite: it’s outdoor, slow (clay-court) and the ones banging drums and chanting PI-LI-PI-NAS will be Pinoys. Also, last year, the scores were close: Treat Huey (our player) lost in five sets; Mamiit, in four close sets. If we tweak the surroundings, who knows, the result (we hope) will be the reverse.

4) World-class. Everything about the Davis Cup is A-1. It’s an ace of a tournament. It began in 1900 as a friendly match between the Americans and the British. Today, it involves 125 nations and is officially “the world’s largest annual international team competition in sport.” It’s special. So is the court. So are the 1,500 bleachers, constructed by the Lapu-Lapu City government. So is, of course, Plantation Bay.

5) Hot. With this word, I mean literally. It will turn your skin color to red (or dark black!). With no roofing on top of the bleachers and with the games scheduled from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., you’ll be baked. Which is why you should watch. If our DC players can suffer from the heat (yes, we hope, for our team’s sake and given the winter season in Japan, that it will be hot!), then we can cheer for them under the scorching sun.

6) See the stars. The Japanese team is composed of Go Soeda, Tatsuma Ito, Yuichi Sugita and Takao Suzuki. (Their top-ranked netter, Kei Nishikori, ranked world no. 66, is not coming to Mactan. Good for us.) As for Team PHL, we have Cecil Mamiit (who also doubles as the captain), Treat Conrad Huey, Johnny Arcilla and Elbert Anasta (plus alternate PJ Tierro).

Mamiit, based in Los Angeles, is our Pinoy version of Michael Chang. He’s fast, tough, steady, tenacious. In his career, he has beaten Chang, Mark Woodforde and even Andre Agassi (who defaulted after leading, 6-0, 6-6).

Treat Huey, 25, is based in Virginia, U.S.A. His mother is from Manila. Like Nadal, he is left-handed. Now world-ranked 101 in doubles, his favorite quote is… “If winning isn’t everything, then why do people keep score?”

7) It’s three days. Unlike most one-day-only sporting events, the Davis Cup runs the entire weekend. On Friday, it’s the first two singles matches. (All are best-of-five.) On Saturday, it’s the crucial doubles match. And, on Sunday, it’s the reverse singles. Whoever wins three out of five, wins.

I often get asked: Which day is the best to watch? My answer: Every day. Friday is all-important (and electrifying) because it’s pressure-filled. If the score is 2-0 at day’s end, that gives the winning team huge confidence. If it’s 1-all, the next day’s doubles is pivotal. (BTW, the Mamiit-Huey tandem beat the same Japanese doubles team in the Asian Games two months ago.) Finally, Sunday. If the score is 2-1, the finale is the most breathtaking. Each day is riveting. Get your tickets today! Few are left at SM City’s Nike Stadium or at Ayala Center’s Planet Sports. See you in DC.

Round One! Cecil Mamiit vs. Boom-Boom Bautista

World champion Donnie Nietes with Elbert Anasta

Boom-Boom with Johnny Arcilla

Donnie with Treat Huey

Boxers turned tennis players turned boxers

Treat Huey

See more here.

Best Beach/Island Theme Tennis Outfit Photo Contest
Mechanics: ??1. The male or female model must be smiling and wearing a beach or island theme tennis outfit while holding a tennis racquet
2. Accessories such as swim goggles, floaters, music players and the like, are encouraged
3. To submit your photo entry, LIKE the fan page www.facebook.com/daviscuplapulapucity and post your photo on its wall.
4. In the photo caption, state the name of the photographer, address and contact numbers
5. Criteria for judging: ??*** Most number of photo LIKEs – 20%?*** Relevance to the theme – 50%?*** Creativity – 30%
6. The following prizes will be awarded to the contest winners: ??— First Prize —?Two (2) VIP season tickets?Overnight stay for 2 at Plantation Bay Resort & Spa ??— Second Prize —?Two (2) season tickets with reserved seats?Free day use of facilities for 2 at Plantation Bay Resort & Spa ??— Third Prize —?Two (2) free-seating tickets for 3 days?Open dinner for 2 at Plantation Bay Resort & Spa ??— Ten (10) Consolation prizes —?One (1) free-seating ticket each for 3 days
7. Deadline for posting of entries will be on March 1, 2011. Winners will be announced on March 2, 2011. The winning photos will be shown through a slideshow on the tournament dates.
8. For more information, kindly visit www.lapulapucity.gov.ph or call (+63 32) 341-1822 and look for Marizel.

Our tennis players arrived last Monday. Wearing blue-and-white shirts with PILIPINAS printed at the back, they carried with them giant tennis bags and even larger, jumbo-sized smiles. Excited. That’s how they looked. I helped welcome them at the airport. Thanks to Harry Radaza, we rode an open-air truck that transported our Davis Cuppers from MCIAA to Plantation Bay. Along the route, hundreds of schoolchildren stood. They cheered. Screamed. Waved flags. Loud music played. Fireworks erupted. Twenty cars, 33 motorbikes and hundreds paraded. Cecil Mamiit snapped photos with his Canon DSLR. PJ Tierro slapped high-fives. “So this is how it feels to be Manny Pacquiao!” I told Harry as hundreds lined the streets of Lapu-Lapu City.

What a welcome! “First-time pa ko ka experience ingon ani,” said Johnny Arcilla, our local No.1, in the press conference. If the Cebuano hospitality astounded our countrymen-visitors, what followed next had them dazzled. Minutes after landing in Plantation Bay, we walked. There, surrounded by 1,500 red and blue brand-new-smelling seats, sat the center stage that will be the focus of next weekend’s Battle of Mactan.

“Amazing,” said Mamiit, the 34-year-old captain who was once ranked world no. 72. Three months ago with Efren Belarmino, Randy Villanueva, Harry Radaza and myself, Cecil stood on the same spot. It was bare. Two rotten hard-courts slept. No bleachers stood. It was quiet.

Today, it’s the Australian Open transported from Melbourne to Cebu. World-caliber tennis will unfold when yellow Slazenger balls will be smothered. Racquet strings will snap. Arms, raised; victories, claimed. Japan? Philippines? Only three letters will stand… JPN or PHL. Go, PILIPINAS!

BASELINE. Since it’s a holiday in Cebu City today, why not watch the players? For the first time, get to see them train. At the Baseline tennis courts, they’ll practice from 2:30 to 5 p.m.

Treat (pronounced “Tret”) Conrad Huey you’ll watch. Same with J. Arcilla, Elbert Anasta, PJ Tierro and C. Mamiit. They’ll use up two courts. They’ll exchange hundreds of forehands. After, they’ll sign autographs and smile for photos. Be there for today’s open session Fans Day.

FB CONTEST. Here’s your chance to win an overnight stay for two at the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa. And, with it, a pair of VIP tickets (priced at P5,000 each) to the Davis Cup, scheduled this March 4 to 6. The game is simple. Log-in to Facebook and go to “DavisCupLapuLapuCity.” Read the mechanics. All you need is a photo in beach wear holding a racquet… send the picture and–TA-DA!–who knows, you just might be sipping fresh mango juice while sunbathing at one of Asia’s best. Visit FB now.

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