MANILA: The Philippines will join the Asia Pacific Padel Cup (APPC) at the Amare Padel Club Umalas in Bali, Indonesia on Sept. 19 to 22. The women's team is composed of Padel Pilipinas president Senator Pia Cayetano, Tao Yee Tan, Princess Jean Naquila, Yam Garsin and Marian Capadocia, winner of eight singles titles at the Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Open tennis tournament. Johnny Arcilla, the PCA Open men's singles 10-time champion, and Southeast Asian Games medalist Francis Casey Alcantara are in the men's squad, along with brothers Duane and Derrick Santos, Argil Lance Cañizares, Raymark Gulfo Abdulqoahar Allian, and Mhar Joseph Serra. "Being part of Team Padel Pilipinas has elevated my game to the next level. It's not about individual wins anymore. It's about achieving success for the team. We're a group of exceptional players, both on and off the court,' Serra, top-ranked in the Philippines, said. Bryan Casao, who holds double certification as a padel coach, is supervising the training of t he team with the help of strength and conditioning coach Jaric Lavelle. Casao is optimistic that with two months of training, the players are ready for the competition. "I challenge everyone who's a part of the team to raise the bar because we are accountable to the Filipino people. I try to inculcate in our players that they must always conduct themselves in a manner deserving to bear the Filipino flag,' Cayetano said in a statement on Saturday. "We're very proud, as the sole National Sports Association recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee and Philippine Sports Commission, to send our official national team to this prestigious international competition, where nations compete against nations, not just individuals or organizations," Jacqueline Gan, Padel Pilipinas executive director, said. Singapore, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Hong Kong are also competing in the inaugural APPC. "Every athlete dream of representing the country and to be part of the national team. I'm very honored th at Padel Pilipinas chose me to be its player and team captain in this APPC Cup in Bali. I just want to say that I'm very proud and very excited to lead the team,' Cañizares said. The APPC Cup is Naquila's first international tournament. "I'm very excited, of course, we will face other nations, we're gonna represent our country, and I'm very confident that we have a good chance," she said. The Padel Pilipinas Open 2024 was held last week, with 170 players from 108 teams playing 234 matches in eight days. 'The Padel Pilipinas Open 2024 became the largest tournament, not just in Padel Pilipinas, but in the whole country. We're very glad, humble, and proud,' Gan said. Meanwhile, Padel Pilipinas is set to hold its last national tournament under the Philippine Islands Padel Tour, the Play Padel Open 2024, in October followed by the Padel Masters in November, featuring top players based on their rankings from previous tournaments under the Tour. Padel is a racket sport of Mexican origin. It is a mix of tennis and squash and is usually played in doubles on an enclosed court surrounded by walls of glass and metallic mash. Source: Philippines News Agency
