The Philippine soft tennis team, scheduled to arrive Wednesday afternoon, proudly announces its achievement of winning eight medals at the Poland Cup held on July 6.
Led by Southeast Asian (SEA) Games double-gold medalist Bien Zoleta, the team secured one gold, four silver, and three bronze medals in the tournament, which serves as part of their preparation for the Asian Championships in September.
“I’m happy with my performance in our first international tournament outside Asia. There were many adjustments because of the time difference; it’s hard to sleep and recover. It was summer, but the wind was cold, so I had a fever,” shared Zoleta in an interview Wednesday morning while waiting for their flight to Manila at Dubai airport.
Zoleta won the women’s doubles silver medal alongside Princess Catindig, following a 3-5 loss to Koreans Jeongun Lee and Yesol Kim in the final. Catindig also earned two additional silver medals in the singles and mixed doubles events, losing to Lee, 2-4, in the singles final, and teaming up with Sherwin Nuguit to fall to India’s Shri Tanu Pandey and Patel Aniket, 2-5, in the mixed doubles final.
“Overall, it’s a good start for the team. We did our best, and at the same time, we also enjoyed it because it was the team’s first tournament in Europe,” said Catindig, who previously won gold medals in singles and team events at the 2024 International Soft Tennis Championships World Tour in Pathum Thani, Thailand.
“It’s a good experience for all of us; at least we’re able to gauge our level and see if we are ready for the Asian Championships. We will continue training and address what’s needed, from strokes to physical and mental preparation, as well as our connection with partners and coaches,” added Catindig, who won the doubles bronze medal with Zoleta in the Sunchang Open last year.
Joseph Arcilla, the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games singles champion, and Patrick Mendoza secured a silver medal after losing to Koreans Hayato Funemizo and Hansol Kim, 2-5. Arcilla also settled for bronze in the singles after bowing to Funemizo, 1-4. The other bronze medalists included Adjuthor Moralde II and Nuguit in men’s doubles, as well as rookie Airies Nuguit in women’s singles.
Jason Caminti (men’s singles), Christy Sañosa and Shyryn Salazar (women’s singles), Sañosa/Salazar, and Bea Ebriega/Nuguit (women’s doubles) all reached the quarterfinal round.
“The Poland Cup boosted their confidence level even more; they have self-belief that they can compete with the professional teams of Japan and Korea. The tournament is a big help for us; we learned about our strengths and weaknesses during the tournament, and we will work on them when we return to Manila in preparation for the Asian Championships in Korea,” said head coach Michael Enriquez, who also won the 40+ men’s doubles gold medal with assistant coach Wenifredo De Leon, defeating India’s Jitender Mehelda and Mohammad Akhtar, 5-2.
Josephine Paguyo, a bronze medalist at the 1995 World Championships in Japan, is also part of the coaching staff.
The national team will attend a training camp in Sunchang City, South Korea, from August 24 to September 12, before heading to Mungyeong City, which will host the Asian Championships from September 13 to 23.
