Ma. Angelica Novis bucked a scare from the Carvajal siblings and annexed another two-title sweep while Ryan Alga pulled off a shock win in the boys’ singles of the PPS-PEPP Tagum City national age-group tennis tournament in Davao del Norte yesterday.
Novis, 16, thwarted Juliana Carvajal’s tough stand in the first set and went on to post a 6-4, 6-0 win in the semis then whipped Hanna Amazona, 6-0, 6-2, to rule her age bracket in the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop.
The rising Malita star also faced stiff resistance from Coleen Carvajal but recovered in time to eke out a 6-3, 4-6, 10-4 decision, also in the semis of the premier division before repeating over Amazona, 6-1, 6-1, at the Tagum City Tennis Club to duplicate her two-title romp in Digos last week.
The fourth-ranked Alga, meanwhile, stunned top seed Reyman Saldivar Jr., 6-0, 6-1, in the semis then held off No. 3 Khobe Dumlao, 7-6(8), 6-4, to snare the 16-U diadem and spark a rash of reversals in the five-day event hosted by Mayor Allan Rellon and sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala.
Meanwhile, a huge field will slug it out in the Davao leg beginning tomorrow (Thursday), which will coincide with the Araw ng Davao celebrations. For details and listup, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
Unseeded Kenneth Eufemiano, however, stopped Alga in the 18-U finals, scoring a convincing 6-2, 6-2 victory to share the spotlight with Tagum’s Chelsea Bernaldez, who also came away with two victories in the girls’ 12- and 14-U sides of the event sanctioned by the by Unified Tennis Philippines made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg.
“Reversals have marked all legs of the PPS-PEPP circuit which has been emphasizing the need to discover fresh talents, especially in the countryside, thus paving the way for the level playing field,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
No. 2 Bernaldez turned back top seed Ann Gumapac, 6-3, 6-2, for the 12-U crown then thwarted Ayeza Dino, 6-3, 6-4, in the 14-U finals. Other winners were Kidapawan’s Iñigo Barrios, who shocked top seed Yusuf Maldo, 5-3, 4-2, in 10-unisex; Tupi, Cotabato’s Andre Mateo, who fended off Charles Jumawan, 7-5, 6-4, in boys’ 12-U, and Kabacan’s Saldivar, who beat Kristopher Espinosa, 6-3, 6-2, in 14-U.
Novis also took the 18-U doubles crown in a team-up with Zykala Cervantes, beating Carvajal sisters, 8-5, with Alga teaming up with Dumlao to beat Khobe Camingue and Eufemiano, 8-3, in their side of the final. Other winners were Dino and Jaineve Gumapac, and Espinosa and Jumawan (14-U) and Johnel Maldo and Cian Ramirez (10-U)
