Category: Tennis

All racquets and yellow balls lead to Casino Espanol de Cebu tomorrow when the biggest clinic in Cebu tennis aces off. Last year at the Cebu Country Club, nearly 200 children and adults joined. This year? Since no charges will be assessed the participants—yes, let me repeat that: This is a free tennis clinic—then I expect just as many, if not more, to swing volleys and smother lobs with smashes.

Butch Bacani, as I’ve written on this box last year and last week, is one of the top tennis coaches of our 7,107 islands. He is smart (a U.P. Economics graduate who ventured into the corporate world before he turned full-time into tennis). He is rich in experience (a former Davis Cup captain, he’s trained in America, Australia and many other countries around the globe). He is, best of all, dedicated and passionate. I saw with my own eyes how he spent days and hours and weeks under the scorching, burning summer heat from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., teaching, imparting the ABCs of Maria Sharapova’s game, motivating little kindergarten students as young as five to grip a racquet and swing the fluffy ball.

Now that the clay-court season has started, all eyes are on one player—and he’s not named Roger Federer. He’s Rafael Nadal. The “King of Clay,” Nadal has three straight French Open trophies at home. And Roger? Well, we know he’s been losing and, thus far, hasn’t won a title in 2008. And the clay-court—which slows the ball and isn’t favorable to an aggressor like Federer—isn’t the world no.1’s strength. But he’s done the right thing this week. He’s hired a coach: Jose Higueras, the former mentor of Jim Courier, Michael Chang and Pete Sampras. (Read the short ESPN story here.)

Next week, one of the nation’s top tennis coaches will descend in Cebu. No, he won’t be here for a mere three hours or three days or three weeks—Butch Bacani will reside in Cebu for one month. At the Casino Español de Cebu along V. Ranudo St., Bacani will train children as young as five years old, he’ll hone the skills of top juniors like Niño Siso, and he’ll impart his decades-long experience to anyone dreaming to be a future Roger Federer.

MANILA—I’m in our capital city to do three things. First, to visit our family-owned juice bar outlets. Two, I watched a concert last Thursday night by Duran Duran—with the all-original cast of Simon Le Bon, John and Roger Taylor, and Nick Rhodes. It was the best performance I’ve seen—and will write about it later this week. And the third reason: to watch our RP tennis team exchange smashes with Uzbekistan in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group I.

Led by two Filipino-Americans—Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino—the RP squad has resurrected from the clay-court ashes and returned to the world stage. At the SEA Games, we claimed gold medals. In Davis Cup—the annual competition that pits country vs. country—we’ve resurfaced. Thus, this RP vs. Uzbekistan tie.

Last January, at around the time of our Sinulog, a group of men and women from Glendale, California, held a friendly tennis encounter with our very own Casino Espanol de Cebu tennis group. The original schedule, January 19 (the day before the Sinulog), rained out so we moved it to Jan. 21, the day after the biggest party and celebration of the year in Cebu. It was competitive, exciting, filled with serves, volleys, lobs and smashes, and both groups enjoyed each other’s company. Thanks to Brian Bailey, who helped facilitate his Glendale group’s visit to Cebu, we had an ace of a time!

Tennis’ greatest-ever—next to Roger Federer—is Pete Sampras. He amassed 14 Grand Slam singles titles—the most of any male player. But we know he’s long retired; back at the 2002 U.S. Open final against Andre Agassi, Pete won that match—his last on the ATP Tour. And that was 5 ½ years ago.

Today, Pistol Pete is back. Last November, Sampras played thrice against Federer. He lost the first match, 6-4, 6-3, in Seoul, Korea. He lost the second, 7-6, 7-6, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. But in their finale, Pete shocked Roger in Macau, 7-6 (6), 6-4. And, just a few nights ago against Tommy Haas, Pete spent just 43 minutes dismantling the German, 6-4, 6-2. That’s two of the last two.

(This painting and the one below from www.galleriadelsol.com)

Which brings me to ask: Should Pete return?

DAN MASTOUS, my good friend from the U.S. who arrived in Manila last week just in time to watch the Philippines versus Japan three-day event (Feb. 8 to 10) called the Davis Cup, sent me more pictures yesterday…

Eric Taino (left) with Cecil Mamiit in the doubles event last Saturday, Feb. 9

NO, it wasn’t embarrassing. And the matches, especially the first two days and the doubles last Saturday, were close. We just couldn’t pull through. I spoke last night to Randy Villanueva, one of the officials from the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) who helped our Davis Cup team, and he said the matches could have gone either way. But the fact is, the final score in the Davis Cup tennis tie between the Philippines and Japan is 5-0. The winners: Japan. Here’s a story from the Phil. Daily Inquirer… The below photos are courtesy of my good friend Dan Mastous, who flew in from Boston the day before and made it in time to watch all three days. Thanks, Dan!