ANGELES CITY — 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.
The pride of the Sanchez-Ayuyao clan of Angeles City and Magalang, Pampanga, Sanchez rose to fame at a time when tennis was a male-dominated sports in the Philippines.
She became the country’s No. 1 female player in 1975 after she won the National Open and the Philippine Tennis Association Open. In 1977, she became the first Filipino to bring home a medal for tennis in the Southeast Asian Games.
Sanchez was among the first Filipina tennis players to represent the Philippines in various tournaments abroad, including the Federation Cup—the women’s equivalent of the Davis Cup—where she played against some of the world’s best. In 1978, she powered the national women’s team to a rare appearance in the main draw of the Federation Cup.
Sanchez Marissa retired from professional tennis in the 1980s but continued on as a much sought-after coach in Angeles City, where she first started playing as a 12-year-old high school student at the then Holy Angel College.
On the night of Jan. 4, 2026, Maria Socorro “Marissa” Sanchez passed away in Angeles City at the age of 69. We are one with the family in praying for the eternal repose of her soul. Punto Obit
