called, served as a guiding model for the club and its youths on physical fitness and gentlemanly character during the 60’s and 70’s at the Taft Avenue courts and later on at Plaza Dilao in Paco. PCA proved to be the farm club for producing numerous scholar athletes.

THE AMPON AND DEYRO ERA 1946 - 1970

While most of Philippine Sports suffered significant setbacks. Philippine tennis continued to remain as the leading nation in Asia in the 1950’s and 1960’s as they were often the David Cup Zonal Champions in the Eastern Zone beating Japan, Korea or India in the process. Exploits by Felicisino Ampon and Reymundo Deyro in the Davis Cup, together with Johnny Jose and Cesar Carmona, became legendary as they recorded "the Most Decisive Victory in a Davis Cup Tie" when the Philippines defeated Burma in 1955 with the final scoreline of 5-0 and only a loss of 18 games. The record still stands up to this day. Ampon and Deyro represented their country in Davis Cup Ties playing 146 matches between them.

In 1949, Ampon won the Pan-American singles title in Mexico, an international tuara, considered as his most important conquest, blasting Bill Talbert in the semi-finals and Tom Brown in the finals, renowned internationalists. Ampon has won over thirty European trophies and holds victories over Wimbledon Champion Jaroslav Drobny twice, and Wimbledon Semi-Finalist Ramanathan Krishnan. In the 1952 Wimbledon, he scared Aussie Frank Sedgman over the full route of five sets. The great Sedgman went on to win the Wimbledon crown. Perhaps the greatest tribute ever paid to Felicisimo was during the 1953 Wimbledon when a London sportswriter refereed to him as a "great internationalist who has imparted a new meaning to the delicate game and is a credit to the sport."

Ray Deyro’s coveted title came in 1953 in Oslo, Norway when he defeated Ampon in an all-Filipino finale in five sets. Deyro and Ampon played top caliber tennis until their late 40’s providing their countrymen exciting entertainment with their classical display of skills at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Courts. Playing against India in a Davis Cup Tie for the last time in Manila, in 1964 at the age of 44, Ampon to the delight of his hometown crowd, outplayed the powerful Premjit Lall in straight sets, who was 20 years his junior. He then followed up with another victory in the reverse singles against Jaidip Mukerjea.

WOMENS TENNIS

In women’s tennis, the country was dominated by Felicisimo’s sister, the multi-titled Desideria Ampon and Pat Yngayo during the 50’s and 60’s. Yngayo recorded the feat of having won the silver medal in the Asian Games, a record she holds to this day. In the 70’s and 80’s, talented ones like Pia Tamayo, Eva Olivarez, Joanna Feria, Jennifer Saret and Jennifer Saberon showed flashes of brilliance but would gently fade from the game to pursue studies due to lack of support for women’s tennis in the country.

The personable Castillejo sisters, Dyan, Jackie, Sarah and Nina, all travelled in the world junior and women’s circuits in the 80’s. Dyan and Nina are now the country’s popular newscasters with the leading television station.