The rich history of Philippine tennis, decades before Alex Eala

The rich history of Philippine tennis, decades before Alex Eala

Before Alex Eala became a national sensation, the last time the sport of tennis captivated the country was during the 1988 Davis Cup tie between the Philippines and Japan. I was then a 10-year-old age group player who keenly followed the results in the newspapers. The Philippines was missing Manny Tolentino, the No. 1 Filipino player, who was dropped from the national team by the local federation. Also unavailable were 1985 Wimbledon juniors sem…