Jean Henri Lhuillier, a long-time Philippine Sports Patron vowed to continue supporting tennis and softball in the country. Lhuillier, current president of the Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) as well as the Unified Tennis Philippines (UTP) is elated with the progress of the programs of both sports association and is excited with their plans for the year.
“I am very upbeat for this year especially for our softball national teams as well as our top tennis players. There are lots of international tournaments lined up for them and I’m confident they will perform well and continue putting the Philippines in the softball and tennis maps”, said Lhuillier, ASAPHIL and UTP President.
Lhuillier has been the main supporter of the both the RP Blu Boys and Blu Girls, multi-gold medalists in Southeast Asian Games and consistent podium finishers in Asian Level. Lhuillier is also the man behind top tennis players former world number 17 Treat Huey; doubles specialist and currently ranked 136 Ruben Gonzales; and, former Australian Juniors doubles champion Francis Casey Alcantara, personally funding their international competitions for several years now.
The RP Blu Girls are currently deep in training for the upcoming Women’s Softball Asia Cup to be held in South Korea from April 2-8. They are also expected to contend for a medal together with the Blu Boys in the Asian Games on September . Cebuana Lhuillier Sports Ambassadors Huey, Gonzales and Alcantara are all currently representing the country’s colors in the ATP and ITF doubles competitions. All them won several titles in ITF doubles tournaments in 2022 and all are just outside the elite world’s top 100 doubles players.
Lhuillier is not only focusing on the elite athletes. Thru ASAPHIL and UTP, Lhuillier spearheads grassroots development thru hundreds of age-group tennis competitions, open tournaments and even club tournaments thru the help of sponsors Cebuana Lhuillier, Palawan Pawnshop, UNILAB, Mr. Freeze, PhilCare, Navegar, DFNN, Madison Galeries, Asia Traders Corp and Chris Sports, to discover fresh tennis talents. ASAPHIL, on the other hand, is excited to bring back national competitions to continuously hone local talents in preparation for international competitions in the years to come.
Lhuillier explained: “I have high hopes for both Philippine softball and tennis as these are the two sports where I firmly believe Filipinos have what it takes to be the world’s best, and I vow to continue giving them my all out support to make this a reality”.
Reference: https://mb.com.ph/2023/02/15/jean-henri-lhuillier-reaffirms-commitment-to-philippine-softball/