Mateo Rivas and Mica Emana fashioned out a pair of straight-set wins in 16-and-under play as they anchored the Quezon City bets’ surge in the PPS-PEPP Mayor Arlene Arcillas national age-group tennis tournament at the Sta. Rosa sports complex in Laguna over the weekend.
Rivas, ranked seventh in a full-packed 64-player boys’ draw, dished out top form in posting a string of lopsided wins following an opening round bye, romping past Jonas Marquez, Samuel Davila, and Jaime Reyes before shocking top seed John Bona, 7-5, 6-1, in the semis of the Group 2 tournament marked by a series of reversals.
Ranged against an equally determined Andre Coladilla from Biñan, Rivas survived another first set scare then re-asserted his might in the next to hack out a 7-5, 6-2 decision and clinch the crown in the week-long event presented by Dunlop which drew a record cast of over 300 entries.
The sixth seeded Emana likewise flashed awesome form, upending top seed Jane Diaz, 4-0, 4-1, in the second round then routing No. 2 Kimi Brodeth, 6-3, 6-0, in the finals to share top honors with Rivas in the event put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro as part of the company’s commitment to boost local junior tennis and at the same time discover talents from the countryside.
Other winners Julio Naredo and Kay Ann Emana, also from QC, Nueva Ecija’s Lexious Cruz, Exequiel Jucutan from La Union, top seed Adriana Lanza from Pasig, and Daviane Gauran from faraway Negros Oriental.
The top-seeded Naredo trampled Aljhon Rombawa, 6-1, 6-1, for the boys’ 12-U trophy; Kay Ann Emana foiled younger sister Mica’s bid for a double crown with a 6-0, 6-4 victory in 18-U finals; Cruz repelled top seed France Dilao, 7-5, 6-1, for the boys’ 14-U title; Jucutan hacked out back-to-back three-set wins, the last against top ranked Marc Jarata, 6-7(2), 6-4, 10-2, for the boys’ 18-U diadem; Lanza held off No. 2 Maristella Torrecampo, 6-2, 4-6, 11-9, for the girls’ 12-U title; and the second seeded Gauran frustrated No. 1 Jane Diaz, 7-5, 6-3, for the girls’ 14-U championship in the event supported by ProtekTODO, PalawanPay, the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating).
Meanwhile, action in the country’s longest talent-search shifts to Sucat, Parañaque for the Olivarez Cup on July 13-18 with Pampanga hosting the next stop on July 22-30 in Apalit. For details and listup, contact Mangunay at 0915-4046464.