Fed Cup Asia Oceania Group 2 Tournament

by MEIA LOPEZ

There is nothing quite like a “Uy, yung Philippine women’s tennis team nandito sa Wellington. Nood tayo!” to get us out of the house on a Saturday morning.

Apparently, that Saturday, the 8th of February was the last day of the six-day competition for the Fed Cup Asia Oceania Group 2 tournament. Fed Cup is the annual tennis tournament for elite women tennis players worldwide. The Philippines, together with New Zealand, and six other countries had battled it out on the court for the past five days and Saturday was the final tournament. Guess which teams were in the Finals?  The Philippines and New Zealand. 

Don’t get me wrong, we love New Zealand but, when a group of your kababayan come over to compete, our hearts will go out to the players from our ‘inang bayan’.  Always.

So armed with little Philippine flags, dutifully supplied by the Philippine embassy staff, we cheered on our young kababayan – Marian Capadocia, Shaira Rivera and Clarice Patrimonio.

Each team played two singles matches and one doubles match against their opposing team. Although the Philippines lost to New Zealand, our players played well, with great sportsmanship and good humour.  We were impressed.

Go Philippines!

Coach Cza

Leading our top three players  was a former Number 1 women’s tennis player in the Philippines, Czarina Arevalo. She said they had better results this year than last year because of two things:  the Philippines made it to the finals against New Zealand and they upset the strong Thai team in their games.  “It’s the first time in a long time.” She adds.

Coach Cza did say that New Zealand was their toughest opponent this time around. They had the home crowd advantage but they were also gracious opponents.  “They were fair, even the crowd.”

Marian

The Philippines’ top tennis player is 24-year-old Marian Capadocia, originally from Antique. With mom and dad playing tennis, it was no surprise that six out nine of their children took up the sport.  Marian started playing tennis when she was 8 years old and made her way as the Philippine’s number 1 women’s player at 16. She has been training and competing internationally for most of her life.  This was her 6th Fed Cup competition.

What was it like to compete in Wellington? Well, the wind was a bit of a challenge and the weather was a tad cold.  Playing in a foreign land can be difficult so seeing the Wellington Filipino community supporting her and their team was quite heart-warming for her.  Well, it is not everyday that we are visited by our elite athletes and besides, this unassuming young lady with a powerful forehand has captured our hearts.

Shaira

The youngest player in the group is 20-year-old Shaira Hope Rivera. Shaira juggles tennis training and international competitions with her studies at Ateneo de Manila University where she is an AB Literature English college sophomore. Tennis has been a part of her life for the past 10 years and she has trained with the Philippine Tennis Academy for most of that time.

This was her first Fed Cup competition and first visit to New Zealand too. She was quite impressed by what she’d seen. “Chill lang, walang problema, very friendly yung mag tao, at nice weather.”  She did well in her games and the highlight was when she and Marian beat the Thailand doubles team. Her eyes widened as she said, “Na-upset namin yung Thailand.” What kept her going was probably a bible verse that was always in her mind:  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

One day she hopes to follow her father’s footsteps and join the police force. But until that day we look forward to seeing her in future Fed Cup and other international competitions.

Clarice

If her surname is familiar, it’s because she is the daughter of PBA legend Alvin Patrimonio. But she chose to make a name for herself in another sport. Clarice Patrimonio chose tennis over basketball. She was introduced to tennis through a video game she’d played at a very young age and by the time she was 6 years old, she had already joined a tennis camp.

Clarice is a veteran player of the Fed Cup, having represented the Philippines for a number of years. Her parents and siblings have always been supportive when she plays tennis. “They can see what I am capable of. With tennis, you need to always keep your head in the game. Laban lang.”

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