Alexa Milliam seeks to cap a strong finish in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala age-group tennis season as she shoots for another three-title romp in the PPS-PEPP Naga national age-group tennis tournament starting today (Tuesday, Dec. 17) at the Naga Tennis Courts in Naga, Cebu.
Milliam racked up a whopping 12-title haul in a four-week span the last two months, dominating the Dumaguete, Argao, Cebu and Negros Occidental stops of the circuit presented by Dunlop and put up by the country’s leading remittance center.
But while she looks to reign in her age division anew, the 14-year-old ace from Pontevedra, Negros, Occidental braces for a tough outing in the 16- and 18-and-under sections with Bliss Bayking, Rose Bahonsua and Bless Coderos out to stop her run in both categories.
Vinz Alforque and Sai Lago, on the other hand, are tipped to slug it out for top honors in the boys’ premier side with Emmanuel Carmona and Jayford Canono also out to fuel their respective title drives in the Group 2 tournament closing out the 2018 season of the annual circuit sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilsoin, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg.
“Milliam will be as much as tested as the rest of the bidders, especially in the upper divisions. And we expect her to raise the level of her game to achieve another three-title haul,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Alforque and Lago also head the cast in the 16-U side which also drew Hans Cabellon, Nico Gampal and Ian Lim, while Lago, Cabellon and Lim are the top picks in the 14-U division that includes Gio Manito and Chad Cuizon.
Meanwhile, spicing up the five-day event is the Legends competition featuring the men’s doubles 40s, 50s and 60s while another Legends men’s doubles 40s, 50s and 60s tilt will be played in Cabanatuan City on Dec. 28-30. For details, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.