THE NETTERS from La Carlota City, Negros Occidental showed off their strength yesterday as they took home majority of the championship titles in the final day of the 3rd leg of the Philippine Sports Commission-Philippine Lawn Tennis Association Visayas Junior Tennis Championships at the Montevista Tennis Association’s (Monta) tennis courts in Bacolod City.
Host Bacolod City, on the other hand, fell short of just one championship title to equal La Carlota’s total hoard in the tournament.
The La Carlota City netters snared a total of five championship titles in different age group categories in the boy’s and girl’s divisions.
Tony Rose Raymundo and Valerie Desoyo led the powerhouse cast of La Carlota City as they plucked two titles each in their respective age categories. Raymundo’s first championship came in the premier 18-Under girls’ division after she easily dispatched compatriot Keanu Flores, 6-1, 6-2 in the finals to walk off with the tiara.
Raymundo did a repeat on Flores in the 16-Under girls division wars with another convincing 6-4,6-4 win over the latter in the finals for her second title of the day.
Desoyo, for her part, captured her first championship in the tournament after booting out her La Carlota City teammate, Kiana De Asis, 6-3,6-3, in the finals of the 14-Under girls before she dispatched another teammate Shyryn Salazar, 6-1,6-4, to snare the 12-Under girls championship crown.
The top bet of host Bacolod City, Fernando Arguelles, prevented a titular shutout of their city as he ruled the premier 18-Under boys division with an easy 6-0,6-2 victory over Raymart Marcellena of Dumaguete City in the finals.
His next title came in the 16-Under boys division after he survived a gruelling three-set win over fellow Bacolodnon Prince Cielo, 6-3, 3-6, 10-8.
Bacolod City won two other titles behind Pete Andre Rodriguez and Reynan Mahusay. /Correspondent JADE S. VIOLETA