Fil-German netter Lehnert: Tennis is my life

A 16-year-old bet from Germany has certainly attracted a lot of attention in the ICTSI-ITF Women’s Circuit Week 1 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. Katharina Lehnert, a pretty ninth grader from a local tennis academy in Hannover, has been cheered on by the predominantly Filipino crowd, including her most vocal supporter from Rosario, La Union named Imelda Lungsod.

Imelda has every reason to cheer her lungs out since Katharina, who was born on February 18, 1994, is her daughter with former German club soccer player Sebastian Lehnert. "I went to Germany in 1988 and worked as a quality control employee in a wrapping and printing company," said Imelda. "There, I met my husband, who was a former soccer player." Sebastian, a retired soccer player, now has his own trucking business and is content to support the only athlete in their family, his eldest daughter Katharina. Katharina tried to follow the footsteps of her dad. She played soccer when she was six years old, but shifted to tennis when she was seven. It turned out she made the right choice. She's now one among the top players in the international women's junior circuit. In the ongoing ranking tour event, sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation and organized by the Philippine Tennis Association, Lehnert quickly made her presence felt. She blanked Anne Christine Patrimonio, 6-0, 6-0, then made short work of Shin Jung-Yoon of South Korea, 6-1, 6-3, to enter the quarterfinal round. The Fil-German netter, ranked 102nd in the world junior rankings, gave everyone a glimpse of world-class tennis action. "The field is tough, but the competition in Europe is a lot tougher," said Lenhert, who made her way into the quarterfinal round of a similar ranking tourney in Japan two weeks ago. Now playing for the third straight week, Lehnert looks in serious contention to win the title. "Lehnert could win this tournament. I think our press people should highlight her more as being a Filipino-German. Her mom is a Filipino. It's the next best thing to having our own girl competing against some of the world’s best," said Phinma executive Oscar Hilado, one among the few godfathers of Philippine Tennis. Proud of Filipino roots Chiken adobo and halo-halo. These are the two Filipino food items Lehnert goes crazy about. "I love to eat chicken adobo and halo-halo," said Lenhert. "These are the specialties that I usually look for every time I visit the Philippines." Apart from Pinoy cuisine, Lehnert is proud of her Filipina lineage. And none can make her even prouder than to represent the country in some of the major international tournaments. "Of course, I would love to," said Lenhert when asked about the possibility of representing the Philippines, just like other Fil-foreign players such as Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino, who won gold medals while playing for the PHL team in the Southeast Asian Games, and the up-and-coming Treat Huey. Like Katharina, her mom Imelda will welcome the opportunity once it's presented. She knows they will make a lot of sacrifice, but will gladly accept it if there are people from the local tennis industry who will support them. "We're based in Germany, so it won't be easy traveling back and forth," said Imelda. "But we will welcome the opportunity of playing in the SEA Games or Asian Games once it is offered to us." Tennis is Katharina’s life This early, Lehnert has already made a choice, calling tennis not just a profession but also a big part of her life. "Tennis is my life. I don’t think my life will be that meaningful without tennis," said Lehnert, who is planning to compete in one or two Grand Slam events next year. "I am an aggressive player and I want to do the same thing even when I reach a certain age. I would like to be involved in tennis until I grow old, whether as a player, a coach or even part of the managing or organizing team involved in tennis." At her tender age, there's definitely an eternity of tennis ahead in Katharina's life. - KY, JVP, GMANews.TV