Top seed Jose Maria Pague seeks redemption from a last finals trip slip while Eric Olivarez fuels his own drive for another major crown as the first MITF National Open Tennis Championships unwraps Wednesday at the Metropolis courts in Iloilo City.
Thirty other bidders made up of the country’s top guns and emerging stars are in the 32-player men’s singles draw, all primed for a week-long test of power, styles and endurance in the first Open championship hosted by the city renowned for its historic churches and traditional fabrics.
Both determined to make a mark in pursuit of the top P60,000 prize, Pague faces David Aligaen while the No. 2 Olivarez tangles with Elemar Sealza in the lower half of the draw.
Pague fell short to AJ Lim, Jr. in the finals of Gov. Franklin Bautista Open in Davao Occidental last month while Olivarez yielded to Pague in the semis the last time out.
In other key opening day matches, No. 3 Josshua Kinaadman, who teamed up with Olivarez to win the Bautista Open doubles title, clashes with Litz de Juan, and fourth ranked Vicente Anasta tests Benedict Santiago’s mettle.
No. 5 Eric Tangub collides with Ralph Javero, sixth seed Nilo Ledama trades shots with Khenz Justiniani, No. 7 Alexis Acabo mixes it up with Austin Egaran while eighth ranked Noel Salupado takes on Andre Alcantara.
Also on tap in the event are the men’s, women’s and mixed Open doubles, the Legends men’s doubles for 40s, 50s and 60s and women’s doubles 30s and the grand slam juniors boys and girls competitions.
To accommodate the big number of entries, the juniors tournament will be played at the LaPaz courts, according to event organizer Bobby Mangunay.
The men’s doubles champions will receive P40,000 with Kinaadman and Olivarez gunning for back-to-back feats against the tandems of Anasta and Noel Damian, Pague and Bryan Saarenas, and Ledama and Justin Suarez, among other teams.
Multi-titled Johnny Arcilla is actually set to banner the cast but sustained injury while building up for the event and opted to withdraw while Lim begged off to focus on the PCA Open.