JOHNNY Arcilla and Jeson Patrombon hope to recover from their Davis Cup debacle as they lead the title chase in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Brookside Open unfolding April 13 at the Brookside Hills Tennis Club in Cainta, Rizal.
Patrombon, 25, actually set the pace for Team Phl in its Davis Cup tie with Thailand, winning the first singles. But the hosts lost the next four matches, (second singles, doubles and first reverse singles) and yielded a 1-4 setback.
But Patrombon and Arcilla are expected to figure prominently in the upcoming tournament along with Vicente Anasta and Rolando Ruel Jr plus a slew of young, rising stars raring to show their worth in the event sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Dunlop as official ball.
Fierce action is also seen in women’s play with the Patrimonio sisters—Clarice and Christine—tipped to crowd the likes of Marian Capadocia and Aileen Rogan for top honors in the event backed by Rep. Jack Duavit, Mayor Keith Nieto, Vitoria Construction, Pastule to Plate, Feeds Edition, Rublou Mall and Allan del Castillo with Greenrose, St. Louis Realty Corp. board member Gongora, East Electric Construction and Ortigas Hospital as donors.
“They will not only battle it out for top honors but will also serve as inspiration for our junior players, who look up to them for their exploits, both here and abroad,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Meanwhile, the country’s top and rising junior players take the spotlight ahead of the national pool and team members as they dispute nine singles titles and four in doubles in the PPS-PEPP age-group tournament, which got under way yesterday (Monday), also at the BHTC.
Tim Gumban and Loucas Fernandez, and Paula Uy and Miles Vitaliano set out as the top picks in the premier 18-and-under section of the boys and girls’ divisions, respectively, with Daniel Estanislao II and Edgardo Angara, and Alexa Milliam and Justine Maneja looming as the players to beat in the 16-U category.
Meanwhile, Legazpi City will host the next age-grouper on April 10 to 14 while the PPS-PEPP Macs Crankit Open will be played on April 21-28. Listup is ongoing. For details, call PPS Sports Program Development director and event organizer Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.