Alvin Patrimonio’s daughters Asia's next sports superstars?

Retired Philippine basketball superstar Alvin "The Captain" Patrimonio's daughters may become two of Asia's next sports superstars as they continue to shine in the tennis world. According to a report on GMA News TV’s “Good News," Patrimonio's daughter Clarice and her Indian partner bagged the top prize in the doubles division in the recently concluded International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) junior division competitions in Indonesia. “[Ang] reason kung bakit nananalo kami ay teamwork at connection," the 17-year-old Clarice said in the newscast aired over the weekend. She was also a runner up in the ITF Junior Circuit's singles category. Clarice is ranked as the No. 1’s tennis player in the Philippines and 115th worldwide, the report said, quoting records from the ITF Junior Circuit, the premier level for worldwide competition among under-18 tennis players. Clarice said she is looking forward to end up as one of the world’s top 80 junior tennis players so she could qualify in the United States Open Tennis Championships.
Patrimonio's other daughter Christine, who also plays the Olympic sports, said she was very proud of her sister. “Proud ako sa kanya [pagkatapos kong sabihin sa kanya na] always do your best, never give up, and laban lang nang laban." Clarice spends four hours a day of training in the Patrimonio’s tennis court, according to the report. Karl Sta. Maria, tennis coach of the Patrimonio sisters, said Clarice probably inherited her “strong fighting spirit" from her father. “Very competitive [si Clarice]. ‘Di siya natatakot kung anong nationality ‘yung kalaban niya, kahit saang lugar [pa] kami," Sta. Maria said in the report. Alvin, who holds several Philippine Basketball Association records, including the Most Valuable Player award, is now the team manager of B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados (formerly Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants). Sta. Maria also said the tennis-playing sisters are “very high-performance" athletes, pointing out that “[t]hey always undergo elite and specialized training." The Patrimonio sisters began their training for the sports when they were still in grade school. They were eventually trained in Spain, which has a global reputation for producing some of world’s best tennis players. — VVP, GMA News