Kristine Bandolis missed completing a rare three-title feat but proved dominating just the same as she ruled the girls’ 14- and 18-and-under divisions in the PPS-PEPP Kapatagan national age-grouper at the Kapatagan and Maranding courts in Lanao del Norte recently.
The rising Tubod star, 14, crushed Angel Vosotros, 6-1, 6-2, to reign in her age bracket then blasted April Cuizon, 6-1, 6-2, in the finals of the premier division of the Group 2 tournament hosted by Byron Atay and presented by Dunlop.
Ozamiz City’s Judy Ann Padilla, however, foiled her in the 16-U finals, scoring a 6-2, 6-2 reversal to share the spotlight in the week-long event serving as part of the nationwide, year-long circuit put up by Palawan Pawnshop headed by president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Eric Tangub, meanwhile, hacked out a pair of tough wins to dominate the boys’ side as the Tucuran, Zambo del Sur ace held off Brent Cortes, 6-4, 6-4, for the 16-U crown then turned back Steven Sonsona in a thriller of a duel, 7-5, 4-6, 11-9, to share the MVP honors with Bandolis.
Up next in the circuit is the PPS-PEPP Pangasinan leg, which got under way yesterday (Saturday) with another huge cast vying for top honors in various divisions at the Urdaneta Tennis Club. For details, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
Other winners in PPS Kalatagan were Pete Bandala of Dipolog (10-unisex), Maranding’s Cyd Villamar (boys’ 12-U), Aslan Carbonilla, also of Maranding, (boys’ 14-U) and Angel Denopol of Kulambugan, Lanao del Norte, (girls’ 12-U) while Cielo Gonzales (girls” 12-U) and Josh Lim (10-U and boys’ 12-U) took the sportsmanship awards.
Bandala picked up another crown with a 4-1, 4-0 triumph over Lim; Villamar scored a 2-6, 2-1(Ret) win over Vince Bering; Carbonilla routed Sonsona, 6-2, 6-0; Denopol, who scored a pair of victories each in the Misamis Occidental and Molave, Zambo legs of the circuit sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg, settled for a lone crown this time, overpowering Angel Vosotros, 6-1, 6-2.
Bandolis actually capped her romp by teaming up with Jedidiah Gupit to whip Carmel Padilla and Zeiah Toribio, 8-3, for the 18-U doubles diadem with Cortes and Sonsona bagging the boys’ title with an 8-7(5) escape over Carbonilla and Eurie Tagal.
Denopol and Padilla, on the other hand, took the 14-U plum with an 8-2 romp over Azalea Buhat and Eri Dominguez with Carbonilla and Sean Esick nipping Kurt Bandolis and Chris Sonsona, 8-7(5), for the boys title. Lim and Gonzales snared the 10-U diadem with an 8-6 victory over Bandala and Vincent Nadal.