MANILA, Philippines — Maria Socorro “Marissa” Dizon Sanchez, known as the country’s tennis pioneer, died last January 4 in Angeles City, Pampanga, of heart failure.
She was 69 years old.
“Long before Alex Eala, there was Marissa Dizon Sanchez who brought prestige and honor to the Philippines and the Filipino people as one of the top tennis sensations of her era,” Philippine diplomat Elmer Cato, who was related to Sanchez, said in a Facebook post.
The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) also honored Sanchez.
“The Philippine sports community deeply mourns the loss of a tennis phenom who championed women athletes in the sport,” the PSC said late on Tuesday.
Before the likes of Alex Eala, Sanchez was the country’s top tennis player after winning the National Open and the Philippine Tennis Association Open.
She also brought the country its first medal in the Southeast Asian Games, winning a silver medal in 1977 in the women’s singles tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.