Losing is painful. Last March, we experienced it. Last Sunday, once more, we succumbed to the same heartache. Sport is brutal. While one player raises his fists to the heavens and praises The Almighty, at the opposite end of the net, another slumps his head and closes his eyes. We won and lost last weekend. [...]

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Jeson Patrombon (below) saves the day for Team Philippines, winning the 5th match in three sets. In the final tally, though, the Chinese Taipei squad defeated our Philippine team, 3-2. Sayang. We had plenty of chances. From Cecil Mamiit’s three set points in Day One to the painful 8-6 loss in the fifth set in [...]

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Just finished the official Draw Ceremony of the PHILIPPINES vs. CHINESE TAIPEI Davis Cup tie at 10:30 this morning…

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Cecil, Jeson, Ruben, Johnny and Treat At 10 A.M. today at the Lapu-Lapu City Hall, the official draw of the Davis Cup tie between the Philippines and Chinese Taipei will happen. Tomorrow, the Battle of Mactan starts. The first match commences at 10 in the morning. The second match immediately follows. All the sword- and [...]

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Everybody who wears red gloves, who clenches their fists, grits their teeth, and confronts this Filipino diamond named Manny Pacquiao says the same thing: I’ll beat that Man. Everybody, at the end of the 3rd or the 7th or the 12th round, with eyes swollen, ribs mutilated, cheekbones tarnished—all testify in unison: Man, he’s too [...]

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Cecil Mamiit and Treat Huey Tennis, like boxing, is one on one. When Rafa plays Roger, it’s like Pacquiao-Marquez. No other person, except that referee, is inside that court or boxing ring. Mano-a-mano. That’s boxing. Like the game Djokovic plays. But Davis Cup is different. It’s team against team. It’s country versus nation. Coaches are [...]

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Last Sunday, he vomited. Twice. Head bowed, shoulders drooping, his face grimaced. His Babolat racquet nearly fell off his weakened fingers. Cecil Mamiit, after nearly six hours on the oven-like tennis court last Friday, sprinting and smashing and sliding from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., was fatigued. His body ached. It was his third straight [...]

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Read today’s excellent SunStar Cebu column by Mike Limpag

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View more photos here. Summer is here! It started last Friday. While it’s been raining and drizzling the past month, the sun roasted Cebu starting two days ago. No clouds covered and no rain showered Lapu-Lapu City. Yes. This was what we hoped for. And we got it. With near-freezing temperatures in Tokyo today, we [...]

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Randy Villanueva, Harry Radaza, Monico Puentevalla Tatsumi Ito moments from saving three match points Mike Limpag flanked by Jurence Mendoza and Jacob Lagman POC Chairman Monico with Cecil’s dad See more here.

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Treat Huey, Cecil Mamiit, Go Soeda and Tatsumi Ito

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See more photos here.

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It all began last October. Randy Villanueva called. Can the Davis Cup be held in Cebu? the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) Vice-President asked. We had discussed this issue before. My usual reply to Randy: Sure… but where? Cebu does not have an international-standard venue. Worse, where do we get the bleachers? I thought of Baseline. [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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

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Treat Huey See more here.

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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