JEDDAH, 8 February — The grandest and most exciting 5th Seiko-AFTPA Year Opening Team Tennis Tournament is set to take off at 5 p.m. today at the Sheraton Hotel tennis courts.
Total thirty-four teams are expected to troop the parade of teams donning their colorful uniforms with their own mascots and muses.
Now on its fourteenth year, the tournament is organized and managed by the All Filipino Tennis Players Association, under the stewardship of its chairman Ding Miranda with the full backing of the Philippine Consulate General. He was ably supported by the tournament committee, with Nestor Sorosoro as the tournament director. Other highlights of the opening day ceremony is the induction of this year’s AFTPA officers which thereafter will officially sworn them into office. Vice Chairman for Internal Affairs Gerry Nazaire, Vice Chairman for External Affairs, Serge Taga, Secretary Gino Ruperez, Treasurer Gerry Alcantara, Auditor Efren Bulatao, Sr., PROs Freddie Felipe and Corly Obtinalla, Business Managers Rod Ramelb I and Romy Bugarin and Assistant Tournament Director Rommel Cortez complete the list of its current set of officers. Past chairman Boy Cornejo and past vice chairman Hermie Faustino serves as its advisers.
Invited and expected to grace the occasion are some high ranking officials of the Consulate General of the Philippines, Abdul Rahman O. Al Hussaini, president of Al Hussaini & Co., Hussam S. Salahi, sales & advertising manager, Al Hussaini & Co., and representatives of various sponsors and participating teams. Up for grabs are the special awards for Best Mascot, Best Muse of the tournament and the Best in Team Uniform in each of the four categories.
This two month tournament is primarily sponsored by Al Hussaini & Co., the exclusive distributor of Seiko watches in Saudi Arabia with Reebok Saudi Arabia (Zahid Tractor), Singapore Airlines, Racquet Shop, Pepsi Cola Bugshan, and friends of AFTPA as co-sponsors.
Leading the pack of participating teams to march in its parade in category C is the depending champion Saudia City Tennis Club who is facing a very strong challenge from the resurging Zuhair Fayez & Partnership, TPST, RB-Stringers, Hidada, JPTC/Siyangco, Bassam and Facom tennis clubs. Battle of the nerves will certainly reign in Category B2 as last year’s finalist Saudia City will be renewing its rivalry with their formidable opponents and is fitted with tough teams from TPST, Siyanco/JPTC, Hidada, Facom, Bahlas Carpets and TBC. The list also presented the newly formed Saudi Divers team and hitherto the underdog Seiko team.
Depending champion APO tennis club will be in a rickety situation, as they will be slugging it out with their erstwhile opponents BCJ, SKAB and Jafforms in Category B1. An experimental but exciting revitalized format was adopted this time that will combine three B1 and three B classified players in a team thus called a unified B1B category. The format was considered by the organizing committee as a case to jump-start a strong and exciting competition among the B1 and B players. With a dwindling classified B players left in the field, for the past years, they are left without a team nor a category where they can join in a tournament of this magnitude and be able to play competitively with their peers. Seen to be a toss up for BCJ, APO, Jets and Jafforms, Saudia City is regarded to be an eagle waiting to claw its prey.
