DETERMINED. Filipino-American tennis player Ruben Gonzales in action in this undated 2023 tournament. He will be part of the Philippine team to the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games on May 5 to 17. (Contributed photo)
MANILA - Filipino-American netter Ruben Gonzales has three more tournaments to hurdle before the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Cambodia.
One tournament in Mexico and two in South Korea – all Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challengers – will complete his preparation for the SEAG scheduled May 5 to 17.
The tennis competition will be held May 6 to 16 at Tennis Arena inside the Morodok Techno National Sports Complex in Phnom Penh.
"I will try to prepare as best as I can for the SEA Games," said Gonzales in an interview on Sunday.
After making it to the semifinal round of the San Luis Open in Mexico on Saturday, he is expecting a career-high of world No. 115 when the latest doubles rankings are released on Monday.
"I’m really happy about my first quarter of the year but I still have a lot to improve on," said the 6-foot Gonzales, who pocketed three ATP Challenger titles last year.
He began 2023 with a runner-up finish at the Cleveland Open with American Reese Stalder.
In February, he teamed up with Brazilian Fernando Romboli at the Bahrain Ministry of Interior Tennis Challenger in Manama, where they lost in the final.
Born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Indiana, Gonzales became a member of the national team in 2010 and has also competed in the Davis Cup and Asian Games.
He is a consistent medalist in the SEAG, winning the doubles gold with fellow Fil-Am Treat Huey in Vietnam (2022).
He had also bagged doubles silver medals with Huey (2019, Manila), Francis Casey Alcantara (2017, Malaysia), and Jeson Patrombon (2015, Singapore). (PNA)
