Patrimonio, Nguyen breathe hope into RP tennis

MANILA—The prospects are getting better and better for Philippine tennis.   Local coaches said the recent victories of junior netters Tamitha Nguyen and Anna Clarice Patrimonio indicate that that country can get to the top once again.   The 16-year-old Nguyen bagged the Vietnam juniors by beating Patrimonio, 6-2, 6-4, in the finals last Friday. Patrimonio, 17, won the Hong Kong juniors the other week.   Nguyen, daughter of former tennis star Edna Olivarez, is a high school senior at Olivarez College. She trained under Karl Santamaria and former Davis Cupper Manny Tecson.   “We developed a style of game for her that made her competitive with the bigger and more powerful girls in the circuit especially in the higher grades,” said Tecson.   He said Nguyen has improved her offense by taking the ball early and standing closer to the baseline, an aggressive stance that is also used by Tecson’s other ward Jeson Patrombon.   “That enables her to cut the angles since she is not tall,” added Tecson. “She combines this with a good consistent defense that makes her opponent work for the points.”   Tecson said he believes Nguyen will get better and better with more competitions abroad. She is ranked 583 in the world but is likely to break into the top 400 with her recent triumph.