Phl braces for sizzling beach tennis

MANILA, Philippines - Beach tennis, a hybrid of tennis, badminton and volleyball, has reached Philippine shores, and is expected to continue to create ripples this summer season.

CDL Entertainment has taken the initiative as it recently kicked off a series of beach tennis clinics, attended by a mix of players – celebrities, businessmen, fitness buffs, as well as national and collegiate athletes.

According to Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) vice president Randy Villanueva, the sport of beach tennis is suited for Filipinos.

“I think the Philippines can have a great future in beach tennis. We have some of the best beaches in the world that can be our training ground. And it suits Filipinos because in this sport you don’t really need height, only a lot of speed,” he said.

Beach tennis was professionalized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in 2008 and has gained much following across Europe, US and the Asia Pacific. Among the most prestigious competitions in beach tennis include the ITF Beach Tennis World Team Championship, ITF Beach Tennis World Championships, European Beach Tennis Championships and the newly introduced ITF Beach Tennis Pan American Championships.

Beach tennis is strictly an aerial game, whereby players need to keep a rally back and forth without letting the ball hit the sand. Like tennis and badminton one hit is allowed per team with only one service attempt.

The game is played on a beach volleyball court and requires the use of depressurized tennis balls and specially designed rackets or paddles. The scoring system is similar with regular tennis except with the permanent use of no-advantage after deuce.

To know more about beach tennis and to be part of the next beach tennis clinic, contact CDL Entertainment at [email protected] or call 631-39-17.