By Ronnie Nathanielsz

FRANCIS Casey ?Ni?o? Alcantara, a 5?7? wisp of a boy has emerged as The Manny Pacquiao of Tennis following his smashing triumph in the junior boys? doubles at the Australian Open in Melbourne last weekend. That accolade came from no less than former junior standout and Philippine Tennis Association Davis Cup administrator Randy Villanueva.

Alcantara teamed up with Cheng Peng Hsieh of Chinese Taipei to win the doubles and become the first Filipino to win a grandslam title.

An ecstatic Villanueva, who kept track of Alcantara?s progress in the first grandslam event of the year, was soon joined by his coach, former Davis Cup doubles specialist Jun Toledo and one of the young boy?s private sector supporters, Romy Chan, in hailing the teenager as a smaller version of Pacquiao, who is regarded as the greatest Filipino fighter of all time and a certified national treasure.

The outpouring of support and the feeling of pride and joy among Filipinos over Alcantara?s feat was reflected by hundreds of messages from the four corners of the Earth, where Filipinos live and work. From Nigeria to New Zealand, Saudi Arabia to South Korea, Equatorial Guinea to England, the messages came pouring in on Alcantara?s player profile site of the Australian Open.

Clearly, no matter where they were, Filipinos were in search of heroes to join Pacquiao and provide our country the respect and redemption it so richly deserves in the face of the reams of negative publicity.

Alcantara said he couldn?t believe he won because one of his dreams was to play in a grandslam. And to win it was big. Alcantara said he forgot the sweltering heat when he saw so many Filipinos in the stands. ?I was thankful for that because they boosted my confidence.?

A most welcome plus was the presence of his three staunch supporters?Chan, Oscar Hilado and Jean Henri Lhuillier, as well as Alcantara?s mother Sarah, who was originally from Malaybalay, Bukidnon and Toledo.

Alcantara said he and Hsieh played well in the finals. ?Our returns were amazing. We just decided to enjoy the game.?

Having played together and won in Thailand, China and Malaysia, Alcantara said he was looking forward to continuing his doubles partnership with Hsieh in the French Open on the clay courts of Roland Garros, as well as the grass courts of Wimbledon.

Alcantara prefers hard courts, because he likes ?to get in offensively, just serve, stay back and if I see an opportunity get in to put away the point.?

One of the smallest in terms of height and build, Alcantara said he doesn?t mind the height disadvantage. ?I just focus on my game, believe in myself and am confident I can take it no matter what.?

A product of humble beginnings and a simple home, Alcantara?s father, who put a racket into his hand at the age of six and helped him fall in love with the game since he came from a family of tennis players, regrettably passed away six years ago. To be continued