ANDRE Kenny Sing and Gennifer Pagente nailed two victories each as the provincial bets shared the spotlight with their Manila counterparts in the Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Olivarez leg regional age-group tennis tournament at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque last Monday.
Sing, ranked fourth in the boys’ 12-and-under class, dominated No. 3 Axl Gonzaga, 6-3, 6-2, to clinch the crown then the rising Davao star topped the full-packed 64-player 14-U field with a 1-0 (ret.) win over top seed Daniel Estanislao III.
Pagente, on the other hand, overpowered Danna Abad, 6-1, 6-3, to bag the girls’ 16-U title then the Cagayan de Oro find hammered out a 6-2, 6-3 romp over Bliss Bayking in the 18-U finals of the Group 2 sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.
“It’s inspiring to see our young players from the provinces pull off victories in a Manila event which only underscores the level playing field fuelled by the regular staging of the circuit in various regions,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Sing and Pagente also emerged the MVPs in their respective sides.
Sing actually came away with three wins, teaming up with Pete Rodriguez to beat Joaquin de Leon and Andrew Garcia Jr., 8-3, for the 14-U doubles crown.
Ateneo’s Cenon Gonzales, meanwhile, stunned top seed Joma Pague in the semis then scored a 1-0 (ret.) win over Stefano Gurria to bag the boys’ 18-U diadem but Gurria, from Imus, Cavite, rebounded in the 64-man 16-U class, scoring a 6-2, 6-2 romp over Laurenz Quitara.
Zamboanga’s Sydney Enriquez topped the girls’ 14-U side with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Justine Maneja, while Kaye Ann Emana from Quezon City repulsed Casey Padilla, 7-5, 3-6, 10-4, for the girls’ 12-U crown and second seed Samuel Salazar claimed the 10-U title with a 4-2, 4-1 triumph over Kean Enriquez in the event backed by Asiatraders Corp. and the new Unified tennis group, led by PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s and B-Meg.
Salazar later teamed up with Enriquez to clobber Alecsa Ilano and Lance Maglaqui, 8-1, for the 10-U doubles crown while Al Andrade and Lorenzo Legaspi nipped Keno Enriquez and John Guanzon, 8-7(6), to snare the 18-U doubles plum.
Abad and Bayking also edged Aubrey Calma and Pagente, 8-7(4), for the girls’ 18-U doubles plum while Sydney Enriquez and Padilla copped the 14-U doubles crown with an 8-5 victory over Emana siblings Mica and Ella.