TOP seeds Johnny Arcilla and Ronard Joven bagged the men’s doubles crown of the 35th Philippine Columbian Association Open-Cebuana Lhuillier men’s tennis tournament at the PCA indoor shell-clay court in Paco, Manila.
Arcilla and Joven banked on familiarity and vast experience to beat Elbert Anasta and Marc Anthony Alcoseba, 6-3, 6-3, in the finals that lasted for an hour.
“Unti-unti naming nakabisado ang galaw namin kaya alam na naming ‘yung gagawin namin sa loob ng court. Naging madali ‘yung adjustments namin dahil may sinusunod din kaming strategy,” Arcilla said.
Arcilla and Joven pocketed the P20,000 top purse, while Anasta and Alcoseba settled for the P10,000 runner-up prize in the tournament supported by Dunlop, Whirlpool-Fujidenzo, Chris Sports, Mary Grace, Aseana City, PVL Restaurant, Maverick, Compass, Babolat, Just Jewels, Rexona, Palm Rock, Coca Cola Femsa Philippines, Pearl Garden Hotel, Pearl Lane Hotel, Sen. Manny Pacquiao, L&M, Broadway Motors, Stronghold Insurance and Monte.
The tandem of Arcilla and Joven also earned a spot in the main draw of the PCA Open-Cebuana Lhuillier Asian Tennis Federation Tour scheduled on Sept. 1 to 4 at the same venue.
Arcilla and Joven reached the finals by ousting Ruben Santiago and Arn Procianos, 6-2, 6-2; Joshua Miranda and Dennis Vitaliano Jr., 6-2, (retire); and Kim Saraza and Joseph Arcilla, 6-2, 6-4.
Arcilla was playing Patrick John Tierro in the men’s singles finals at press time.
“We continue to support sports events like the PCA Open year after year as Cebuana Lhuillier Sports is committed to empower Filipino athletes. Projects like this provide a platform that allows us to discover and gauge the potential of our tennis players while giving them the motivation to deliver their best performance,” said Cebuana Lhuillier CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier.
“I’m particularly excited for this year’s edition as it features top players from our Asian neighbor countries. This will give our players the opportunity to gain world-ranking points and be exposed to top-notch competition,” Lhuillier added.