By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Philippine national soft tennis team shone the most during the women’s team event category and took home the gold medal in the ongoing Southeast Asian Games last May 9, 2023, held at the Soft Tennis Center in the Olympic Complex in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
It was a dominant display for the Filipinas after sweeping Indonesia during the gold medal match, 5-4, 4-2, 5-0, to win their second championship of the sport.
The team composed of Christy Sañosa, Princess Catindig, Fatima Amir, and Bien Bejosano defied the odds and showed a consistent performance right from the start of the elimination round.
Before the matchup up with the Indonesians, the national team had to go through Cambodia and Laos and also got decent advantages during their back-to-back wins.
Aside from their prestigious gold medal finish, the Filipinas also completed the soft tennis team event without a single series loss.
During the doubles event, the Filipina duo of Bien Zoleta-Mañalac and Princess Catindig also reigned supreme and won gold.
Mañalac, a PHL national soft tennis team veteran, continued her dominance in the SEAG stage after previously winning the past biennial sports meet titles.
Meanwhile, the men’s soft tennis national team only managed to win the bronze medal after falling at the hands of Thailand in the semifinal round, 1-2.
The men’s squad is composed of Adjuthor Moralde, Dheo Talatayod, George Mendoza, Joseph Arcilla, Mark Anthony Alcoseba, and Sherwin Nuguit.
