JOHN David Velez posted another two-title feat in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age-group tennis tournament, including the premier 18-and-under crown, as he shared top honors with Tennielle Madis in the Cagayan de Oro leg at the Nazareth Tennis Club yesterday.
Velez, who opened the new PPS-PEPP season with victories in the 14- and 16-U divisions in the Fr. Suarez Cup in Bulacan last month, kept the 16-U plum with a 6-2, 6-4 romp over Rupert Tortal. The rising Davaoeño star then held off Christian Llavore, 6-3, 6-4, to nail the 18-U diadem in the Group 2 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.
Madis, meanwhile, upended top seed Casey Padilla, 6-2, 6-4, to snare the girls’ 12-U diadem then the M’lang, Cotabato find trounced Angela Buyante, 6-4, 6-1, to claim the 14-U crown in the tournament backed by Asiatraders Corp. and sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines, made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg.
“Velez has benefitted much from his regular stints in the circuit and we hope his hard work and determination to improve and excel will inspire the other young players dreaming of becoming big someday,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Madis actually made it a three-title feat as she teamed up with Jillian Manangking and edged Jastine Lim and Padilla, 8-5, for the 14-U doubles plum with Christopher Sonsona and Andrei Padao copping the boys’ plum with an 8-5 decision over Cedric Pamplona and RJ Saldivar.
Other winners were Jazelle Madis, also from M’lang, (girls’ 18-U), Rovie Baulete of Iligan City (girls’ 16-U), Padao of Digos City (boys’ 14-U), Cotabato’s Reyman Saldivar (boys’ 12-U), Ivory Malinis of Maramag (10-unisex) and doubles champions Jazelle Madis-Merikislyn Ubayubay (girls’ 18-U), Christian Llavore-Matt Palasan (boys’ 18-U), and Shawn Globasa-Malinis (10-U).
Meanwhile, Bukidnon will host the third leg on Feb. 8-12 in Dangcagan. Registration is ongoing. For details, call PPS Sports Program Development director and event organizer Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
