A slew of youngsters aiming to go big-time someday kicked off its drive in Cotabato Tuesday with three legs on tap, starting with the PPS-PEPP Kabacan national age-group tennis tournament at the Kabacan hard courts.
Jillian Manangking and Seth Ramirez head the chase in the girls’ 16- and 18-and-under divisions while Joaquin Palo and Herald Aton banner the boys’ field in the premier class of the Group 2 tournament marking the return of the country’s longest-running junior circuit in Mindanao.
The Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala tour, put up by president/CEO Bobby Castro, is coming off a successful run in the south with tournaments held in Labason, Sindangan, Liloy and Dipolog in Zamboanga del Norte, in Miranding, Misamis Oriental, in Oroquieta in Misamis Occidental following the Bacolod and Iloilo swing in the Visayas.
The circuit, presented by Dunlop and sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating), took a break last week to give way to the Fr. Suarez Open men’s singles which Johnny Arcilla ruled in Malabon.
Kidapawan will host the next stop on May 28-31 while the Pigcawayan leg will be held on June 1-5.
For details and registration, contact event organizer and sports program development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
Meantime, fierce action is expected in the boys’ 16-U play with a full-packed roster of 32 players disputing the crown, led by top seed RJ Saldivar and No. 2 Jose Palo with the latter bannering the 14-U class, another 32-player draw, along with Gian Ramirez, Shaun Globasa and Alex Uy.
Ruan Diaz and Emward Rayray, Jannah Mamak and Dhea Cua are the marked players in the girls’ 14-U category while Noelle Quilban and Rayray and Carl Duarte and Juiius Otoc are the top two seeds in the 12-U division.
