Alexa Milliam staked her claim as the best player in the junior ranks today, upending top seed Bliss Bayking twice in the semis to complete another three-title romp in the PPS-PEPP City of Naga age-group tennis tournament at the Naga tennis courts in Cebu yesterday.
The 14-year-old Milliam topped her age-group category with a 6-0, 6-1 victory Kay Gabonada then stunned Bayking, 6-2, 7-6(5), in the girls’ 16-U semis before holding off No. 2 Rose Bahonsua, 6-3, 6-3, to claim the championship.
The Pontevedra, Negros Occidental ace repeated over Bayking, 6-1, 6-3, in the 18-U semis then blasted Bless Coderos, 6-2, 6-1, to clinch the premier crown, thus matching her three-title feats in the Dumaguete, Argao, Cebu and Negros stops of the circuit presented by Dunlop the last two months.
“Through hard work and dedication, Milliam has achieved her goal to become the best and her amazing run of victories should inspire the other youngsters as they prepare for another busy season next year,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro, who has lined up a record 70-leg circuit in 2019.
Top seed Vinz Alforque, meanwhile, overpowered No. 8 Eric Longakit, 6-1, 6-2, in the boys’ 16-U finals and trounced Carl Zaragosa, 6-3, 6-1, for the 18-U plum as he shared the MVP honors with Milliam in the season-ending tournament of the annual circuit put up by the country’s leading remittance center.
Other singles winners were Valencia, Dumaguete’s Sharra Paliwag (girls’ 12-U), Pardo, Cebu’s Aaron Tabura (10-unisex), and local bets Mitch Largo (boys’ 12-U) and Longakit (boys’ 14-U) while Milliam teamed up with Ghylliana Yu to edge Bayking and Coderos, 8-6, for the 18-U doubles title.
Other doubles winners were Alforque-Longakit (boys’ 18-U), Paliwag and Sheynna Yu (girls’ 14-U), Hans Cabellon and Raymund Goco (boys’ 14-U) and Paliwag and Velos (10-U) while victors in the Legends division were Jonathan Largo and Longakit (40-and-above), Roel Canillo and Eduardo Parangan from Balamban, Cebu (50s), and Johnny Bohol and Fritz Tabura from Pardo, Cebu (60s).
Meanwhile, another Legends men’s doubles will cap the year-long PPS-PEPP season with the Nueve Ecija Tennis Association hosting the event on Dec. 28-30 in Cabanatuan City where MCTA coaches will also conduct free tennis clinics for junior players. For details, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
