Local bets from host city Butuan made their presence felt in the younger age categories of the recent Cebuana Lhuillier Age Group Tennis Championship Series in this Southern City as Joshua Jazz Cinco, Charzel Carzon, and May Arabella Alejandro dominated their respective categories in the Group 2 tournament that attracted 118 entries.
It was actually an all-Butuan affair in both the boys’ and girls’ 12-under and the girls’ 14-under.
Cinco edged out Paul Andre Singcol, 6-3, 6-7, 10-6, for the 12-under crown, while in the distaff side of the same age group, Carzon posted an easy 6-1, 6-4 victory over Keziah Singcol.
Alejandro, meanwhile, beat Samantha Singcol, 6-1,6-0, in the girls’ 14-under finals.
“I believe we will never run out of new talents in the provinces wherever we hold legs of this grassroots tennis developmental program. This recent leg in Butuan City again enabled us to spot young players with a lot of potentials,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President/CEO of the sponsoring Cebuana Lhuillier Group.
There were also familiar names among the visiting players, led by perennial champion Nash Agustines from Oroquieta City, who copped the boys’ 14-under after a 6-2, 6-2 beating of Lanao del Norte bet John Christopher Sonsona; boys’ 18-under champion Vaughn Spencer Codilla, who beat Lex Estillore from Zamboanga del Sur in three sets, 6-7, 6-4, 12-10; Codilla, who also shared the boys’ 18-under doubles’ crown with Agustines at the expense of Estillore and partener Kenichiro Suzuki; Estillore, who consoled himself with the boys’ 16-under title after winning over Zamboanga del Norte’s Dwayne Russel Daaroy, 6-1, 7-5.
In the distaff side of the tournament backed by Dunlop as the official ball, Siquijor native Ellaine Rose Bahonsua needed three sets to dispose of Cebuana Shedel Aighey Gica, 4-6, 6-2, 10-2, for the girls’ 14-under crown.
Bahonsua made it a double as she teamed up with Gica to rule the 18-under doubles’ category, while Merkisslyn Ubay-ubay posted a 6-2, 6-1 win over Angelly Esguerra to win the 18-under.
The youngest category of the 10-under unisex saw Misamis Oriental bet Janus Matthew Rosales taking the title with a methodical 4-0, 4-1 win over Bryzen Wyn Matthew Sanchez from Tubod, Lanao del Norte.
The two erstwhile opponents then partnered in the unisex doubles’ category and beat the tandem of Lester Ouano and Charles Garzon, 4-0, 4-2, in the finals.
