Figueroa sisters bring passion, talent to the local tennis scene.

When Feb Figueroa came to America from the Phillipines in 1992, the first sport to capture his passion was basketball.

&#8220I like the NBA,” he said. &#8220My buddies and I started playing basketball.”

When his eldest daughter, Catherine, started growing, he found another sport to love.

&#8220I started watching tennis on TV,” Feb said. &#8220It was about the time when the Williams sisters began winning the big tournaments.”

Seeing that Venus and Serena Williams were winning Grand Slam tournament titles following humble beginnings in inner-city Los Angeles, Feb thought this was something could inspire his three daughters.

It has.

The Figueroa sisters, Catherine, Christine and Charlene, are swatting serves and volleys all over Halls Ferry Park and in Jackson under private coaches. They have become regulars on the Mississippi Tennis Association’s youth tournament scene.

&#8220I started playing tournaments when I was 8,” said 13-year-old Christine, who plays singles and doubles for the Vicksburg High tennis team. &#8220I can’t remember how we got started. But every week, we’re playing in a (USTA) tournament.”

Two weeks ago, it was the Clinton Cascades. Last week was the Mississippi North Junior Open State Championships in Greenville. In between, Christine and 14-year-old Catherine, keep up their mid-week match schedule for coach Kevin Manton’s Gators.

It’s something that Manton doesn’t mind, in fact, he embraces the Figueroa’s work ethic.

&#8220I admire their dedication,” Manton said. &#8220These girls eat, sleep and breathe tennis. When they finish our practice, they’re usually headed to Jackson to practice with a pro instructor.

&#8220They have a great family and they’ve been great for Vicksburg tennis.”

&#8220They like tennis,” said Feb, who is a nurse at River Region Medical Center in Vicksburg. He gets plenty of cheering support from his wife, Nelyn.

&#8220It’s a good sport,” Nelyn said. &#8220It’s good exercise for them.”

Both Catherine and Christine are ranked in the top 10 in the MTA state rankings in their respective age classes. Catherine was No. 7 in the 14-year-old bracket, while Christine was No. 4 in her final rankings in the 12s.

The youngest sister, Charlene, could be the best of the lot. Last week in Greenville, she reached the finals of the North State Junior’s 10-year-old division.

&#8220She’s not better than me now, but eventually, she will be,” Christine said.

&#8220She just hopes she could beat me,” added Catherine wryly. &#8220But yeah, she’ll be better because she started at a lot younger age than me, like six. I started when I was nine.”

&#8220Charlene spends a lot of time, working with the pro at River Hills,” Feb said. &#8220She’s really starting to get close to her sisters.”

The North State Open was one of the biggest tournaments of the spring, Catherine said.

&#8220Greenville was a level three tournament and there are only two held in Mississippi each year,” Catherine said. &#8220The MTA starts you out at Level 5 and then you advance to Level 4. The tournament in Clinton was Level 4.”

One of the benefits of playing high school tennis is getting to play against older girls. Recently, Christine played 17-year-old junior Hallie Cook from Madison Central in a singles match.

Cook, who is also a regular on the MTA courts, won in straight sets.

&#8220I think it helps to play the older girls,” Christine said. &#8220The best one I’ve played against was Allison Hartman of Northwest (Rankin).”

Sometimes, Christine and Catherine team up for doubles, which can be trying experience.

&#8220It can be pretty annoying playing with her,” Catherine said.

Christine knows exactly what areas she must concentrate on to improve even more.

&#8220I need to improve on my consistency. I’m pretty good with my forehand. But my overheads need work,” she said. &#8220The challenge is keeping the ball in front of me.”