Zoleta-Manalac: High hopes
There will be five gold medals at stake in soft tennis in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, and the Philippines is looking to finally nail its first mint in the biennial meet.
Philippine soft tennis chief Jeff Tamayo said the Asian Soft Tennis Federation managed to include team events in men’s and women’s, individual singles for men’s and women’s, and mixed doubles during the ASTF executive council meeting in Kitakyushu City, Japan.
“We are optimistic of our chances in the Asian Games because we have a strong team,” said Tamayo, referring to Noelle Conchita Corazon Zoleta-Manalac and Joseph Arcilla.
Zoleta-Manalac copped bronze in the 2015 World Championships in India and 2016 Asian Championships in Japan. She and Arcilla made the singles quarterfinals in the 2014 Incheon Asiad.
Tamayo added that the Philippines is likely to host the Asian Juniors next year, although India and Malaysia also sent bids.
“ASTF has been very supportive of our development program, that’s why we are confident they will give the hosting to us,” added Tamayo.
The 2019 World Cup will be held in Taizhou, China, and the 2020 Asian Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The ASTF also awarded officiating badges to four Filipino umpires in preparation for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games the country is hosting.