MARIELLE Jarata kept her win run going, even ruling the tough 14-and-under girls’ crown to complete a three-title romp in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Agoo, La Union leg tennis tournament at the Don Mariano Marcos tennis courts recently.
The 10-year-old wonder worked her way up as an unranked player in the 14-U side, easing out second seed Sandra Tangalin, 6-2, 6-2, in the quarters then overpowering Adriana Cabahug, 6-2, 6-0, in the semis before beating Tristen Kitong, 6-0, 6-1, in the finals.
That came after the local star blasted her way to 4-0, 4-0 victory over John Lim in the 10-U finals and to a 6-1, 6-3 win over Cabahug in the 12-U championship of the Group 2 event which served as the second of a four-stage Northern Luzon swing of the country’s biggest talent-search sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.
Reversals actually marked the five-day event supported by the Unified Tennis Philippines, including PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg with Vince EJ Tugade of Isulan, Sultan Kudarat trouncing top seed Kylde Lagarde twice.
He hacked out a 6-3, 6-4 decision in the boys’ 16-U finals then scored a dominant 6-1, 6-1 triumph to claim the 18-U plum.
“These reversals only prove that the lesser fancied players are fast catching up with the top seeded bets, practically making it a level playing field in most of our tournaments,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
No. 3 Sharry Caluza of Baguio also came away with a 6-3, 6-4 upset of top seed Denise Bernardo to snatch the girls’ 18-U diadem after the latter, one of the rising stars from Laguna, toppled the former, 7-5, 6-1, in the 16-U finals.
Joewyn Pascua and Exequiel Jucutan, both from Pangasinan, took the two other singles titles with the former overpowering top seed JT Bernardo, 6-3, 6-0, to clinch the boys’ 12-U crown and the latter frustrating No. 1 Andre Jarata, 6-4, 6-2, for the 14-U title.
Meanwhile, Pangasinan hosts the next stop starting today (Thursday, Nov. 23) at the Urdaneta Tennis Club while the TLH Sports and Wellness Center in Valenzuela, Bulacan will stage the next tournament on Nov. 30-Dec 4, according to PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director and organizer Bobby Mangunay. For details, call 0915-4046464.
Marielle Jarata actually made it four-of-four as she also teamed up with Jumia Egipto to edge Cabahug and Kristen Kitong, 8-5, to win the girls’ 14-U doubles plum. Other doubles winners were Ramon Bentillo-Lagarde and Denise Bernardo-Anna Demyer (18-U), Pascua-Kurt Agustin (14-U) and siblings John and Kris Lim (10-U).
