Cebuanos bag 3 titles in Palawan reg’l tennis

Jana Pages completed her dominance in the highest age group division in the Palawan Pawnshop-OTR regional age-group tennis tournament last Sunday at the Consolacion Tennis Courts in Sitio Laray, Consolacion town.

Cebu City’s Pages secured the tiara in the 18-Under Girls category, where she is the top-seeded player, after she booted out in the finals no.2 seed Imaville Gervacio of Ozamiz City, 7-5, 6-1.

Also handing Cebu another title was Pages’ former teammate at Bright Academy, Zethley Mae Alferez, who emerged as the best in the 14-Under Girls division after trouncing Shyne Villareal, 6-3, 6-4.

National Capital Region’s Jerome Romualdez, on the other hand, picked up another title in the Philippine Lawn Tennis Association-backed tournament as the 14-year-old powerhouse downed PTA-Bacolod’s Fernando Jose Arguelles, 6-4, 6-2, in the championship round of the 16-Under Boys division. Romualdez earlier won the championship title in the 18-Under Boys division.

Another Cebuano bet who shone in the competition was Francis Gener Lambayan, who clinched the title in the 14-Under Boys division after lording it over compatriot Francis Navales, 6-0, 6-2, in their championship duel.

The 12-Under Boys division was ruled by Ozamis City’s Mark Nicole Suson, who bounced back from an opening-game setback to defeat Sultan Kudarat’s Mark Alfred Directo, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the title round.

The 14-Under Boys’ doubles was dominated by the tandem of Mark Alfred Directo and Francis Lambayan, who defeated the pair of Jude Balundo and Zudie Balundo, 2-6, 7-5, 10-6, while Villareal and Alferez joined forces in defeating the team of Hong Kong’s Grace Xu and Kristin Salimbangon, 6-1, 6-1, to take home the 14-Under Girls doubles division crown.

The competition was co-sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala and Babolat.