Korean triumph fires up soft tennis squad

The Philippine soft tennis team will use its victorious campaign in the NH Bank Korea Cup International Soft Tennis Tournament as momentum as it continues to prepare for the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October.

National team veteran Bien Zoleta told DAILY TRIBUNE that she was happy to see everybody excel as the team continues to show progress.

The Philippines won the gold medal in the mixed team event, while Shyryn Salazar clinched the silver medal in the women’s singles challenger round.

Errol Giducos bagged the bronze medal in the men’s singles, while Afeah Tabudlong also competed in the women’s singles event.

“All of our team — our rookies and our seniors — showed good results. Aside from the mixed team event, this is what we are hoping for: that we will go to the podium,” Zoleta said in a phone conversation.

“We were lucky to win, which is why we can say that our program and what we prepared for came true.”

The Philippines will now shift its focus to the Sunchang Open in Korea from 29 August to 6 September.

Zoleta said she hopes the team’s chemistry will continue to develop as they strive to make an impact in the Asian Games and land a podium finish.

“The performance that happened here and the game that we showed allowed us to see the pairings and the new pairings. Our lineup is getting results and building connections,” Zoleta said.

“That is what we need to build — communication, connection, new plays and game plans. It is a good thing that we were able to avoid injuries because we have MSAS (Medical and Scientific Athletes Services) and the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission). We were able to undergo rehabilitation after or before the games.”