Althea Rose Martirez pulled off a pair of thrillers over France Lorin Idjao to clinch the MVP plum while Allen Rombawa and Benedict Santiago shared top honors in the boys’ side of the PPS-PEPP Gov. Alfonso Umali Cup national age-grouper at the Pinamalayan Tennis Courts in Oriental Mindoro recently.
Martirez thwarted Idjao, 6-4, 6-4, in the girls’ singles 16-U finals then the rising star from Central Philippine U in Iloilo rallied from a set down to hack out a 3-6, 6-3, 10-5 decision in the 18-U championship and emerge the lone “double” winner in the Group 1 tournament presented by Dunlop and sponsored by Gov. Alfonso Umali and the provincial government of Oriental Mindoro.
Rombawa, from Lipa, Batangas, overpowered Jann Guillano from Roxas City, Capiz, 6-0, 6-2, to bag the 16-U title while Santiago, also from Iloilo, survived Jeff Jimenea, 6-4, 7-5, for the 14-U plum in the event sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines made up of Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg.
Up next is the PPS-PEPP juniors meet in Pulilan, Bulacan on April 22-27 while Zamboanga del Norte will host another age-grouper on April 24-27. Listup is ongoing. For details, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
Other winners in the event which also served as prelude to the Umali Cup Open, which featured the country’s top male players, were Margaurette Mejos from Semirara (10-unisex), Guillano (boys’ 12-U), Angelo Mates from Lipa, Batangas (boys’ 18-U), local bet Diana Jalbay and Ma. Sophia Moreno, also from Lipa.
Mejos trounced Reden Escultor in a duel of unfancied bets, 4-0, 4-1; Guillano toppled Nidrick Luara, 6-4, 6-0; the unranked Mates wore down No. 3 Leyton Portin, 5-7, 6-4, 10-8; the unseeded Jalbay stunned top seed Moreno, 4-2, 4-1, in the semis then held off Myzel Dumaplin, 6-0, 6-4, for the girls’ 12-U crown; and Moreno got back at Jalbay, 6-4, 6-4, in the 14-U finals.
“Reversal continue to be the norm in the circuit, keeping the seeded bets wary of the new faces armed with determination to gain ranking points and hopefully make it big someday,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Idjao, meanwhile, teamed up with Rose Ann Malaluan to beat Ivan Ladaga and Martirez, 8-3, for the 18-U doubles crown with Rombawa and Jose Buenaventura taking the boys’ plum via an 8-6 decision over Mates and Portin.
Elayne Abreu and Moreno took the 14-U title via an 8-3 romp over Jonah Lopez and Shiene Martiinez with Jimenea and Santiago bagging the boys’ crown via an 8-1 rout of Bryll Laceda and Cris Salamat while Escultor and Mejos capturing the 10-U title by crushing Jaimee dela Cruz and Joy Lopez, 8-1.