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Friday, March 29, 2024

Arcilla seals Naga Open title clash vs. Seno

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Johnny Arcilla kept his domination of Charles Kinaadman, hacking out a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 decision in the semifinal round to earn a crack at a third straight crown in the Naga Open National Tennis Championships at the City of Naga tennis courts in Cebu yesterday.

Johnny Arcilla

But the veteran campaigner, who foiled Kinaadman in the finals to clinch the Brookside Open and Zentro Open crowns in Cainta and Pampanga, respectively, faces a new challenger in wild card Jan Godfrey Seno, who ripped Eric Tangub, 6-3, 6-1, in a duel of unranked bets in the lower half of the 32-player draw of the Group A tournament presented by Dunlop.

Arcilla and Seno dispute the championship at 1 p.m. today (Wednesday).

On his way to the finals, the 23-year-old Seno, a product of St. Francis Brooklyn, toppled a couple of seeded rivals after disposing of qualifier Juan Pablo Gonzaga, 6-1, 6-0, in the first round. He routed No. 8 Stephen Gjuia, 6-1, 6-0, then stunned fourth-ranked Eric Jed Olivarez, 6-3, 6-3, in the quarters of the event put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro and serving as part of the Dagitab Festival celebrations.

Tangub, on the other hand, clipped No. 6 Norman Enriquez, 6-2, 6-2, in the first round, survived Jeremiah Tomacruz, 4-6, 6-1, 11-9, before upending second seed and Buglasan Open winner Jose Maria Pague, 6-2, 3-6. 10-8.

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But the Zamboanga bet succumbed to Seno’s superb all-around game after trading breaks in the opening set, yielding the third and ninth games and the second and sixth in the next frame.

Arcilla, a 10-time PCA Open champion who also won the Puerto Princesa Open last October and the Pintaflores Festival Open last month, remained hungry for a crown, dropping just eight games in beating wild card Juvels Velos, 6-1, 6-1; top qualifier Noel Salupado, 6-2, 6-3; and Israel Abarquez, Jr., 6-1 6-0.

Rekindling his rivalry with Kinaadman, Arcilla broke the Cebuano right in the second game but surrendered the eighth to set up a thrilling finish in the opening frame. But after holding serve in the ninth, Arcilla broke the Gov. Jubahib Cup Open winner in the next, snaring the set by battling back from three points down with a sweep of the next five points.

But Kinaadman started out strong in the second frame, breaking his fancied rival in the first and fifth games en route to forcing a decider, which, however, only brought out the best from the veteran Davis Cupper, who rode on a break in the first game to rout the former with decisive breaks in the fifth and seventh games while holding his service turns.

With partner Vicente Anasta, Arcilla also poised himself for another twinkill as they trounced Elvin Geluz and Tomacruz, 6-3, 6-3, to reach the semis of the men’s doubles in the tournament backed by ProtekTODO, PalawanPay, the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating).

Arcilla will also face Seno as the latter teamed up with Abarquez to advance with a 6-4, 6-2, victory over Rodolfo Barquin and Joseph Singson, while Kinaadman and Olivarez repulsed Jeric Accion and John Mari Altiche, for a Final Four clash with Bryan Saarenas and Kristian Tesorio, who shocked the second seeded pair of Pague and Nilo Ledama, 6-3, 5-7, 11-9.

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