20. DESIDERIA AMPON: The Filipina Tennis Trailblazer (active 1941-1971)

The most celebrated Filipina tennis player known for her long and successful career on the hard court is the multi-titled DESIDERIA “Desi” AMPON of Manila (b. 19 Sep. 1924). She was the daughter of Felix M. Ampon and Josefa R. Hermoso. At her peak, she was crowned the women’s singles  champion at the International Philippines Championships,  a record 11 times.

Desi Ampon truly was destined to be a tennis star; her father was a tennis pro and a coach. Her older brother, Felicisimo Ampon, reigned as the country’s No. 1 male tennis player of all times, who has made triumphant appearances at the Davis Cup, French Open, and in the Asian Games.

She started her career in local competitions at a time when the sport was being played by a handful of Filipinas. Minda Ochoa, one of the earliest female champions, helped popularize the sport but she retired in the late 30s. Even her return to the scene in 1950 failed to spark renewed interest in tennis.

Ampon began making waves in Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA)-sanctioned matches and by 1941, she ranked 5^th behind leader Liberty Solisa. Soon, sports watchers kept their eye on this other petite Ampon as her rise in rankings continued. She continued playing in city playgrounds like the Dapitan court, often practicing against her sister Petronila.

In 1950, she teamed up with Felicisimo to reach the finals of the Philippine tennis mixed doubles, defeating Sumant Misra-Mrs. Checkett, 6-2, 7-5. They finished as runner up to Spaniard Pedro Masip and the Argentinian Mary Weiss.

But Ampon’s full potential was still to be realized, and that came auspiciously in 1955, when she finally won her first National Title in the women’s singles. 1956 was again, another sterling year, winning 3 titles in that year's National Open Tennis Championships: Singles, Women's Doubles (with Lourdes Ang) and Mixed Doubles (with brother Felicisimo Ampon).

In the next 3 years, she would earn 2 more titles, capped by her representation of the Philippines in the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan—the first time that Tennis became an official medal event.

Sixty tennis players from 15 nations contested the medals at the Games with  Japan winning 3 Golds , followed by the Philippines with 2, but with more medal finishes (10 medals vs. Japan’s 4). Desideria Ampon snagged the Silver in the Women’s Singles behind Japan’s Sachiko Kamo, and another Silver, in Women’s Doubles (with Patricia Yngayo), won by the Japanese tandem of Sachiko Kamo and Reiko Miyagi.

With brother Felicisimo Ampon, Desideria grabbed a Bronze medal in the Mixed Doubles, behind another Philippine team, Raymundo Deyro and Patricia Yngayo). In all, she came home with 3 medals—not bad at all for her Asian Games debut.

 As a prelude to the next 1962 Asian Games, she entered the 1961 Malaya Open Lawn Tennis Tournament in Kuala Lumpur. She was pitted against Japan’s national champion. Reiko Miyagi but lost out to place 2^nd. But she came back strong in the Mixed Doubles, teaming up with brother Felicisimo to vanquish Japan’s Miyagi and Hitoshi Hiroshe 6-3, 9-7.

In Jakarta, she continued to achieve milestones by surpassing her previous Asian Games medal output, winning 4 Bronzes:  Women’s Singles (shared with Patricia Yngayo), Women’s Doubles (with Yngayo) , Women’s Team, and Women’s Mixed Doubles (with Miguel Dungo).

In her last Asian Games in Bangkok 1966, she added 2 medals to her collection: Silver, in Women’s Doubles (with Yngayo), and Bronze, Women’s Team. In all, she amassed 9 medals from 3 Asian Games, tying with Indonesian Yayuk Basuki, who achieved that number in 4 editions.

Meanwhile, her run as a Philippine champion continued unabated after 1958, as she captured the 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1971 national tennis crowns, as well—an unprecedented eleven titles in all.

There is very little we know of Desideria Ampon upon her retirement after 3 decades of tennis playing. But what we do remember is the important legacy she left behind, that paved the way for generations of Filipinas to take up the sport, and excel like her—the likes of Marissa Sanchez, Jennifer Saberon, Dyan Castillejo, Francesca La’O, and now, Alex Eala. the highest-ranked Filipino female singles player in WTA Tour history,

SOURCES:

PROGRESS REPORT Magazine, 1955 issue

“Malayan Singles Champion” MIRROR Magazine, 26 Aug. 1961, p. 31

Tennis Forum, https://www.tennisforum.com/threads/biographies-of-female-tennis-players.497314/page-267?post_id=81956633#post-81956633