Jeson Patrombon battled back from a set down and pounced on fellow Davis Cup veteran Johnny Arcilla’s poor condition in the decider to fashion out a 4-6, 7-5, 3-0(ret.) win while Marian Capadocia survived Clarice Patrimonio, 6-3, 7-6(5), as they kept their singles crowns in the PPS-PEPP Brookside Hills Open Tennis Championships at the Brookside Hills Tennis Club in Cainta, Rizal last Sunday.
Patrombon blew a 4-1 lead in the second set but recovered in time to fight back from 4-5 down and force a decider with a sweep of the last three games. The 26-year-old ace from Iligan City then took the first three games of the third and eventually the match and the crown as Arcilla gave up due to dizziness.
The victory, worth P50,000, came on the heels of Patrombon’s emphatic victory in the Gov. Umali Cup in Oriental Mindoro last month, also against his long-time rival Arcilla.
Capadocia, who dropped just two games to reach the women’s singles finals, sustained her form against Patrimonio, taking four of the first six games in the opening frame. But Patrimonio toughened up in the second, breaking Capadocia in the second to go 2-up.
But the Antique City bet fought back to rack up the next two sets then broke Patrimonio in the seventh game and held serve twice to seize a 5-3 edge.
Patrimonio, however, refused to give up, banking on her baseline game to force another tie at 5 before the duo traded breaks to reach the tiebreaker where Capadocia proved steadier to repeat over Patrimonio, whom she also edged in last year’s finals of the event sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala and hosted by Brookside Hills.
The 24-year-old Capadocia, who pocketed P25,000 in her singles romp, made it a twinkill as she teamed up with Khim Iglupas to trounce Clarice and Christine Patrimonio. 6-3, 6-3, and clinch the women’s doubles crown worth P10,000 in the event backed by Rep. Jack Duavit, One Cainta, Bgy. San Isidro, Cainta, Rizal, BRAI, Feeds Edition Batangas, RMJ Agricultural, board member Ross Gongora, Allan del Castillo and Dunlop as official ball.
Leander Lazaro and Fritz Verdad, meanwhile, stole the thunder in men’s doubles, hacking out a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 10-8 decision over No. 2 Patrombon and Noel Damian Jr. in the semis then foiling Arcilla and Eric Jed Olivarez, 4-6, 7-6(3), 10-8, for the title worth P15,000.
Meanwhile, action in the country’s biggest and long-running talent-search shifts to Pasig City for the Valle Verde leg, a juniors Group I tournament, beginning today (May 21-25) while the Manila Southwoods will host the next stop for another Group I event on May 26-30 in Carmona, Cavite. For details, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
