Ormoc City’s Kimi Brodeth came away with another twinkill while young David Sepulveda missed matching the feat but flourished with a win and a runner-up finish in the PPS-PEPP Baybay City National Juniors Tennis Championships at Baybay courts in Leyte over the weekend.
Coming off a two-title feat at home last week, Brodeth re-asserted her mastery over the girls’ 16- and 18-and-under field, trouncing Kate Imalay from Danao, Cebu, 6-1, 6-1, then dominating fellow Ormocanon Mia Gemida, 6-3, 6-0, respectively, for another double in the Group 2 tournament of the country’s longest-talent search.
Sepulveda, on the other hand, held off Urcisino Villa from Sogod, Leyte, in the first set before settling down in the next to fashion a 7-5, 6-2 victory in the boys’ 12-U finals but the rising Pardo, Cebu City star fell short of his title crack in 14-U play, bowing to Kenzo Brodeth via the same scoreline.
But his 1-2 finish proved enough to net him a share of MVP honors with Kimi Brodeth in the event, put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro, serving as a prelude to the Pintaflores Festival Juniors Championships in San Carlos, Negros Occidental beginning tomorrow (Thursday).
Other winners in the week-long event, presented by Dunlop and backed by ProtekTODO, PalawanPay, the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating), were Imalay, Ma. Caroliean Fiel, John David Velez and Gerald Gemida.
Imalay made up for her 16-U title setback by winning the 14-U trophy via 6-2, 6-0 rout of Samantha Ortega from Tuburan, Cebu; Fiel nailed another 12-U crown with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Chrystell Laguna; Velez, also from Ormoc, clinched another 18-U diadem with a 6-1, 6-1 demolition of El Zylter Tagalog; and Gemida stopped Christian Laguna, 6-2, 6-2, in the boys’ 16-U final.
Meanwhile, spicing up the Pintaflores netfest, to be held in conjunction with San Carlos City’s annual festival celebrations, are the Legends 35s and 45s men’s singles, the 40s and 50s men’s doubles and the women’s doubles to be capped by the Open Championship for the men’s singles and men’s doubles on Oct. 30 to Nov. 3.