The bets of Cebu City came up with the most number of titles as they ruled age group categories in the 1st leg of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) – Philippine Lawn Tennis Association’s (Philta) Junior Tennis Championships yesterday at the Laray tennis courts in sitio Laray, Consolacion.
Leading the title run for Cebu was Zethley Mae Alferez of B.R.I.G.H.T. Academy, who bested Renee Kristin Salimbangon of Mandaue City, 6-0, 6-4, to take home the tiara in the girls’ 14-Under category.
Next to hand Cebu a title is Mariel Ann Villa, who blasted Ellen Rose Bahonsua, 6-1, 6-1, to snatch the championship in the 12-Under girls’ division.
Naga, Cebu’s Christian Jace Unto joined the cast of Cebu’s champions after dominating Mandaue City’s Cesar Kristofer Salimbangon, 6-0, 6-0, for the title boys’ 12-Under crown while Clyde John Laquio added another title with a hard-fought 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Francis Gener Lambayan in the 14-Under boys’ championship match.
University of San Carlos’ (USC) John Godfrey Seno ruled the boys’ 16-Under category as he outlasted Metro Manila’s Manuel Balce III of Ateneo de Manila University, 6-3, 7-5, in their titular duel.
Seno tucked another title under his belt in the Boys 18-Under division with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Clyde Bienes.
Also taking home a championship title in yesterday’s final day of the tilt hosted by the Local Government of Consolacion through its Mayor Teresa P. Alegado, was Davao City’s John David Velez, who outplayed Naga, Cebu’s Eric Louise Longakit, 6-0, 6-2, to bag the championship title in the 10-Under Unisex division.
All the champions in this tournament received 120 Philta points while the runners-up got 100 points.
Meanwhile, Metro Manila’s 15-year-old Erica Manduriao showed why she’s one of the top junior netters of the San Sebastian Stags junior tennis varsity team as she won the girls’ 16-Under and girls’ 18-Under crowns.
The 2013 Batang Pinoy Bacolod City National Finals-bound Manduriao snared her first title in the tourney after she outlasted Cebu City’s Jana Pages of B.R.I.G.H.T. Academy, 6-1, 6-1, in the finals of the 16-Under division.
Manduriao’s second crown of the day came after she demonstrated the same consistency in her game by toppling Ma. Dominique Ong of Saint Paul University Manila, 6-2, 6-1.
In the doubles competition, the winners are: Manduriao and Hannah Espinosa, who defeated the team of Ong and Pages, 8-4, in the 18-Under girls’ division championship match; Bienes and Ryan Mangapis, who booted out the tandem of Balce and Dale Estonillo in boys’ 18-Under, 8-2, and the tandem of 14-Under girls’ division’s Bahonsua and Villa, who bested the Alferez-Shyne Villareal pair via walkover. Velez and Salimbangon also won over the tandem of Hogan and Noelle Vannase Wilbert in the 10-Under Unisex via walkover.
The second leg of this tournament will be at the La Paz Tennis Club in La Paz Plaza, Iloilo City on Nov. 4 to 10.