Unseeded Jairo Flores crashed the semifinals of the Rep. Edwin Olivarez National Junior Tennis Championships with a shock 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 4 seed Antonio Bengzon at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque over the weekend.
The 13-year-old rising star from Tabuk City, Kalinga displayed remarkable composure and strong baseline play to topple his higher-ranked opponent, securing his spot in the Final Four of the boys’ 14-and-under division.
Riding high on confidence after dominant wins over Joem Riño and Kenji Kue, Flores outclassed Bengzon with superb groundstrokes and maintained his edge in critical moments to secure the straight-set victory. He, however, faces a tough test in the semis, where he will battle second-seeded Marcus Go, who breezed past Gabriel Vitaliano, 6-1, 6-1.
Meanwhile, top seed Mikael Honrado comfortably dispatched Jacob Gonzales, 6-2, 6-1, to set up a semis showdown with No. 3 Anthony Cosca, who routed Cristiano Calingasan, 6-1, 6-0, in the week-long Group 2 tournament, part of the nationwide talent-search organized by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Flores also advanced to the second round of the boys’ 16-and-U division after a 6-0, 6-1 victory over RJ Cruz. He joins top seed Gavin Kraut, third-ranked Cosca, and No. 2 Antonio Ng Jr., who all received opening-round byes.
In the boys’ 18-and-U category, No. 2 Adrian Cagitla, third seed James Yosores, and fourth-ranked JB Aquino secured their semis spots with contrasting wins. Cagitla dominated Ethan Cablitas, 6-1, 6-1, while Yosores edged Phil Amora, 6-7(1), 2-6, 10-8.
Aquino easily defeated John de Ocampo, 6-1, 6-1, while in a thrilling three-setter, Joshua Diva outlasted Marvin Plata, 7-5, 4-6, 15-13, following Plata’s earlier victory over top seed Ng, 6-4, 4-1 (ret.).
The girls’ 18-and-U division also saw some reversals, with Maristella Torrecampo surprising No. 3 seed Jillianne Tenoria, 6-3, 6-2, to join top seed Stefi Aludo, second-ranked Joy Ansay, and No. 4 Mikaela Ngu in the semis.
Aludo crushed Ava Banson, 6-0, 6-1, while Ansay and Ngu blanked Jhane Ilagan and Izabelle Camcam, respectively, with identical 6-0, 6-0 scores.
In the girls’ 14-and-U class, No. 1 Ave Maria Policarpio downed Shaner Gabaldon, 6-3, 6-2, to set up a semifinal clash with Camcam, who outlasted Chiara Bata, 6-4, 4-6, 10-6. Arriana Magdana powered past Athena Liwag, 6-1, 6-1, and will face Louraine Jallorina, who overcame Torrecampo, 6-4, 7-5.
In the 10-and-U unisex division, top seed Raven Licayan advanced to the semis with a 4-0, 4-2 win over Leonardo Manio II. Licayan will face Maximus Calingasan, who defeated Liam Harrow, 4-1, 4-2. Yuan Torrente blanked Mira Plaza, 6-0, 6-0, and will meet Rafael Cablitas, a 4-1, 4-0 winner over Rev Villanueva, in the other semis faceoff.
