Over 300 age groupers gear up for a five-day showdown for top honors and ranking points as the PPS-PEPP MCTA National age group tennis tournament gets going at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque City today.
Jester Ocio, Joshua Tan, Jenard Gonzales and Martin Buenaventura banner the cast in the boys’ 18-and-under division while Denise Bernardo, Geanlijah Sagandoy, Renee Esteban and Bea Gomez are tipped to slug it out in the premier category of the girls’ side of the Group 2 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and Mac’s Crankit Tennis Academy.
Ocio and Gonzales are also competing in the 16-U play headed by Exequiel Jucutan, Edgardo Angara and Sebastien Lhuillier with Sagandoy also seeing action in the distaff side along with top seed Kryssana Brazal, No. 3 Larissa Rosales and fourth ranked Franchezka Malaki.
Focus will also be on the boys’ 12-U division of the tournament presented by Dunlop, which drew a huge 64-player field led by Brent So, Prince Lim, Roque Lim, Joshua Diva, Samuel Salazar, siblings Vhiele and Nhiel Dilao, Kenrick Bona, Benedict Aguilar and Joss Po.
“With this big field, we expect new faces to emerge,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro, who has lined up another 70-leg, nationwide circuit next year. “The PPS-PEPP circuit will continue to provide these young, aspiring players the venue to hone up their skills.”
Meanwhile, Cebu will host the next age-grouper of the circuit, sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines, made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg, on Dec. 13-16 in Mandaue City with Naga, Cebu holding the penultimate leg on Dec. 17-22. The 2018 circuit winds up in Cabanatuan City on Dec. 28-30 with the Legends doubles for 40s, 50s and 60s. Listup is ongoing. For details, call PPS-PEPP Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.