Tenny Madis, the Philippines' no. 2 ranked tennis player behind Alex Eala, is headed to the University of Hawaii to play in the US NCAA.
Tenny Madis is headed to uncharted territory after recently committing to the University of Hawaii for the next US NCAA season.
The Philippines' no. 2 ranked tennis player behind Alex Eala, Madis is taking the next of her tennis journey by venturing into the United States.
After playing in the main draw of the Philippine Women’s Open in January, Madis said that she remains focused on improving her game, which she could now do with the Manoa Rainbow Warriors.
“First of all, it’s an honor to play sa WTA and there’s a lot of learnings na natutunan ko sa WTA and one is I need pa to improve pa yung muscles ko, yung consistency ko, and yung power ko po,” Madis said after accepting a Tony Siddayao Award at the Philippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night on Monday.
Madis was honored alongside Alex Eala, who was named as co-Athlete of the Year by the Filipino scribes.
As she waits for her move to Hawaii, the 18-year-old keeps herself busy by training with the Philippine Tennis Academy under the watchful eye of Coach Bobie Angelo.
“Nagt-train parin po ako sa Philippine Tennis Academy. Same lang din po yung intensive training po parati with Coach Bobie po,” she said.
During the Philippine Women’s Open, Madis gave WTA Tour player Mananchaya Sawangkaew a run for her money with a competitive opening set before succumbing in a sweep.
But Madis drew high praise from the Thai player, whom she also faced in the SEA Games last December.
[RELATED: Thailand's Mananchaya praises Tennielle Madis after Philippine Women’s Open match]
Aiming for more
While Madis does have a strong resume for her age, including multiple Junior ITF accolades and a SEA Games bronze medal, the journey remains long for the North Cotabato-native.
Expecting high-level competition in the US, Madis is eager to get herself going.
“There’s a lot po talaga na mga pro, malalakas and good experienced players po talaga so I need to improve my skills pa po para maka-compete,” she said.
Madis joins the likes of Shaira Rivera and Alexa Milliam in the ranks of homegrown Filipino tennis players competing in US NCAA Division 1 tennis.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.