UP-AND-COMING and perennial leg winner Heinz Asian Carbonilla from Maranding, Lanao del Norte and Princess Debbie Gom-os, a native of Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte, led the winners in the recent Cebuana Lhuillier Age-Group Tennis Championship Series leg in Dipolog City, ruling two individual age-group categories each.
Carbonilla swept Neo Maratas from Zamboanga del Norte, 6-0, 6-0, for the boys’ 12-under crown and duplicated it with another straight-set victory over Dwayne Russel Daarol from Liloy in the finals of the boys’ 14-under of the tournament also backed by Dunlop Sports as the official ball.
Promising Gom-os matched Carbonilla’s feat as she posted similar straight set wins over separate opponents. She had an easy 6-3, 6-3 win over Kristin Guia Margarette Bandolis from Tubod, Lanao del Norte in the girls’ 16-under, then came up with an even more impressive, 6-1, 6-1 win over Liloy native Jossah Mea Ranas in the 18-under finals.
“We have been keeping an eye on Carbonilla as he has steadily improved over the years and keeps on winning consistently. He is a real product of this grassroots tennis developmental program we initiated 12 years ago,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President/CEO of the sponsoring Cebuana Lhuillier Group.
Another double winner was Zamboanga del Sur’s Garlandson Ardiente, who ruled the 10-under unisex category with a 5-3, 4-0 win over Kyne Solis from Tangub City, Misamis Oriental, then partnered with Solis to annex the 10-under unisex doubles’ crown.
Other familiar names, who emerged winners were Zamboanga Sibugay’s Jose Maria Pague, who defeated Nilo Ledama from Pagadian City, 6-4, 6-1, in the boys’ 18-under finals in a win that thwarted his foe’s dream of copping a double as he earlier won the boys’ 16 & under crown, beating local bet Stephen Zion Guia 6-4, 6-0.
The other female individual champions were Kristin Guia Margarrette Bandolis from Tubod, Lanao del Norte, who posted an easy 6-1, 6-1 win over Cebu City’s Hela Riza Coderos in the 14-under, and Christine Mae Gula Gula from Dapitan City in the 12-under, where she disposed of another Dapitan City bet Eloisa Marie Laputan, 6-4, 6-4, when they met in the finals.
The Coderos siblings, Phel Hazel and Pherl Bless, emerged as girls’ doubles’ 18-under champions, while Eric Jay Tangub and Nik Alessandro Isagan copped the boys’ 18-under doubles’ crown.
In the 14-under girls’ side, Laputan and Gula combined to win the title while Pete Harley Liquit and Daarol ruled the doubles’ side.