Cebuana Lhuillier Youth Program scholars shine in Malaysia, Thailand tennis tilts
At A Glance
- Cabaral and Barrera are members of the Edna Diago Lhuillier (EDL) Youth Tennis Program, which was established in 2016 with a goal of discovering and nurturing young tennis players from provincial communities.
What began as a grassroots effort to bring tennis closer to the youth in the provinces has blossomed into a success story for two rising Filipino athletes Ariel Cabaral Jr. and Kurt Barrera.
This, after the two players captured the age-group titles in Penang, Malaysia recently.
Cabaral and Barrera are members of the Edna Diago Lhuillier (EDL) Youth Tennis Program, which was established in 2016 with a goal of discovering and nurturing young tennis players from provincial communities.
Cabaral, a native of Bais, Negros Oriental, is currently the country’s top-ranked players in the boys division who now plays for National University as a full-time scholar. Following his boys 18-under title in Penang, he received a week-long scholarship at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy.
Barrera, for his part, is a scholar at the University of San Jose-Recoletos in Cebu and a recipient of a Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation scholarship. He also competed in Malaysia and Thailand went home with a doubles crown in the boys 18-under.
“These young athletes are the heartbeat of our advocacy. Their success is living proof of what happens when raw talent, especially from under-served communities, is given continuous, unwavering support,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President and CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier.
“Our mission has always been rooted in social responsibility -- to remove the financial barriers, open doors to opportunities, and allow these aspiring players to chase their passion for tennis and represent our country with every ounce of their pride,” he added.