Eric Jed Olivarez snapped a lengthy search for a major victory with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 win over doubles partner Charles Kinaadman, securing the Rep. Edward Hagedorn Open tennis championship at the Karawatan PPS Playground in Puerto Princesa, Palawan last Thursday.
The fifth-ranked Olivarez pulled through in a tense-filled duel of breaks in the first three games of the decider, holding serve in the fourth then breaking Kinaadman again in the next to seize a commanding 4-1 lead. They held serve in the next three with Olivarez clinching the match and the championship with a four-point run after yielding the first point in the eighth game.
The victory, worth P50,000, came on the heels of Olivarez’s stirring 6-3 6-3 reversal over top seed and Lanao Open series tormentor Johnny Arcilla in the semis and it also served as payback for his 1-6, 2-6 loss to Kinaadman in the Jubahib Cup final in Davao del Norte last year.
But the third seeded Kinaadman, who trounced Alexis Acabo, 6-3, 6-1, to reach the finals of the Group A tournament presented by Dunlop, looked headed to repeating over Olivarez when he snatched the opening set on a big windup.
Trailing 3-5 after losing the seventh game while on serve, the Lapu-Lapu City ace held in the ninth then won the next three that featured fierce exchanges in the 10th and 11th games.
But Olivarez quickly recovered and broke Kinaadman at the start of the second set then took four of the next five games to all but level the match at 5-1.
Olivarez and Kinaadman, however, fell short of their sweep bid as they bowed to Arcilla and Nilo Ledama, 4-6, 6-3, 6-10, in the doubles finals of the event held as part of the country’s longest talent-search under the PPS-PEPP program put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
In other results, third seed Evan Bacalso held off No. 2 Brice Baisa, 7-5, 6-2, in the semis then toppled top ranked and doubles partner Vince Serna, 6-0, 6-1, to nail the boys’ 18-and-under crown while Erica Jean Gascon dominated Ysabelle Cajandab, 6-0, 6-2, to reign in her side of the junior battle.
Baisa topped the consolation round with a 4-2, 4-1 victory over Al Tristan Licayan with Khalifa Alveya Ibba ruling the distaff side with a 4-1, 4-0 win over doubles teammate Trixie Gascon.
Other winners were Bacalso-Serna and Ibba-Gascon (juniors 18-and-U doubles); Joanna Tan and Paula Uy (women’s Open doubles); Tracy Bautista and Arianne Gajasan (Legends women’s doubles); Butch Go and Dante Villar (Legends men’s doubles 140 combine age); Roger Ventura and Jun Java (130 combine age); Nimrod Sagun and Ventura (120 combine age); Gerry Dilig and Romel Carbonnel (110 combine age), Ramon Hitosis and Carlo Gomez (100 combine age).