Bliss Bayking sustained her top form and duplicated her two-title feat in Maasin last week, posting a pair of lopsided triumphs in the PPS-PEPP Baybay City regional age-group tennis tournament at the Baybay Tennis Club in Leyte.
The 16-year-old Bayking, from San Carlos City, toppled Joyce Gorgonio twice, scoring a 6-2, 6-0 victory in the finals of her age division then taking the girls’ 18-and-under diadem—and the MVP trophy—via a 6-2, 6-3 scoreline.
No. 3 Vinz Lominoque also eased past the same opponent to match Bayking’s feat in the boys’ side of the Group 2 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala headed by president/CEO Bobby Castro and presented by Dunlop. The unranked Cebu City bet beat Sail Lago, 6-1, 6-2, in the 16-U championship then took the 18-U title—and also the MVP trophy—with an emphatic 6-0, 6-0 win.
Lago, from Sogod, Leyte, recovered from the twin losses by winning the 14-U plum with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Zymer Casem with No. 2 Mia Gemida from Ormoc City claiming the girls’ crown with a 6-1, 6-1 reversal over top seed Corazon Lambonao.
Local bet Aaesha Bandalan and Gerald Gemida shared the 12-U honors in the event backed by Asiatraders Corp. and sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines, made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg, with the former holding off Elna Beronio, 6-0, 7-5.
Gerald Gemida thwarted Bert Manlimos, 6-4, 6-1, while Manuel Jocson III, also from the host province, foiled Baybay leg winner Christian Estrada’s back-to-back title bid in the 10-unisex side via a 4-0, 4-0 victory.
Bayking and Lominoque actually added the 18-U doubles crowns to their trophy haul with the former teaming up with Mia Gemida to oust Hazel Coderos and Joyce Gorgonio, 8-3, and the later partnering with Tyrone Ybañez to rout Cedrix Bravo and Joshua Torres, 8-2.
Mia Gemida also nailed her third title overall as she and Corazon Lambonao tripped siblings Aaesha and Aaliyah Bandalan, 8-5, to snare the 14-U doubles title. Lago and Nicholas Ocat took the boys’ plum with an 8-3 win over Dywne Faelnar and Manlimos while Estrada and Jocson crushed Benedicto Lambonao and Nina Solano, 8-0, to run away with the 10-U doubles diadem.
Meanwhile, two events are currently being held in Bacolod and Ormoc City as the PPS-PEPP summer circuit heats up. For details, call PPS-PEPP Program Development Director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.