Lapu-Lapu City gears up for Tennis Festival Week

LAPU-LAPU City’s hosting of the first-ever Tennis Festival Week from April 1 to 7 is expected to be huge, especially with the 14th PHILTA Tru-Flex National Age-Group Tennis Championships attracting participants from Hong Kong and Thailand.

The 14th PHILTA Tru-Flex will be held from April 1 to 6 in four different venues in Lapu-Lapu City while the second round of action of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group II Tie between Philippines and Thailand is scheduled from April 5 to 7 at the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa also in Lapu-Lapu.

To give way for participants of the PHILTA Tru-Flex to watch the Davis Cup, no matches will be held on the afternoon of April 5 and 6, while from April 1 to 4, matches will be held whole day.

Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) vice president Randy Villanueva, also the Philippine Davis Cup administrator, said some Hong Kong tennis enthusiasts who wanted to watch the Philippines versus Thailand Tie have decided to also bring in participants for the national tournament.

This is Lapu-Lapu City’s fourth hosting of the Davis Cup event and first hosting of the PHILTA Tru-Flex tournament. Villanueva said this will be the first time that PHILTA Tru-Flex is held outside Manila.

The Tennis Festival Week was formally launched yesterday with the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Plantation Bay Resort and Spa general manager Efren Belarmino, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza and Councilor Harry Don Radaza and major sponsors Cebuana Lhuillier represented by its area manager Dino Manso, and Smart represented by its project specialist Paolo Miguel Dizon.

The MOA signing coincided with the press conference held at the Plantation Bay./CORRESPONDENT MARS G. ALISON