Sydney Enriquez and Bruce Hurtado hope to live up to their billing as they banner the cast clashing for top honors and ranking points in the PPS-PEPP Gen San National age group tennis tournament beginning today (Feb. 1) at the GenSan City Tennis Club.
Enriquez, 15, is actually eyeing a two-title feat with the Salug, Zamboanga del Norte ace gaining the top seeding in both the girls’ 16- and 18-and-under divisions while Hurtada heads the boys’ 18-U roster of the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop.
The event, sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop headed by president/CEO Bobby Castro, also serves as t he kickoff leg of the six-stage PPS-PEPP Mindanao swing with Sultan Kudarat hosting the next stop on Feb. 5-11, including a free tennis clinic, followed by Kabacan on Feb. 14-17, Kidapawan City on Feb. 21-25, Digos City on Feb. 28-March 4 and Tagum City on March 7-11.
For details and listup, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
Tipped to foil Enriquez in the 16-U side are Trisha Diaz, Princess Haro and Sandra Mosqueda while Febe Lagarde, Rose Deniga and Haro are fancied to crowd the top seeded bet in the premier division of the five-day tournament sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg.
Hurtado, meanwhile, braces for a spirited duel with the likes of Reyman Saldivar Jr., Rey Napala and Kurt Haro in the 18-U class with Saldivar, Yazzan Al Anazi, Napala and Kurt Haro are expected to dispute the 16-U diadem.
Saldivar, Al Anaza and Napala likewise spearhead the 14-U roster that also drew Arman Saldivar while Sheloh Ripdos and Sandra Mosqueda look to dispute the girls’ 14-U diadem and Sanchena Francisco and Merrycris Cordova eyeing a clash for the girls’ 12-U crown.
John David Velez and Alexa Milliam, who dominated last year’s edition of the longest running age-grouper last year, opened the new PPS-PEPP tennis season with a pair of contrasting victories each in the Actifit age-grouper in Valenzuela City recently.