Justine Maneja and Andrei Jarata dished out fierce form and came away with a pair of emphatic victories in their respective sides in the PPS-PEPP Philam national age group 2019 at the Philam Tennis Club in QC recently.
The top-seeded Maneja overwhelmed three rivals via straight-set romps to cruise to the finals then took the girls’ 16-and-under crown with a 1-0(ret.) scoreline over No. 2 Mica Emana. The rising star from Sta. Mesa proved tougher in the premier 18-U play, dropping just one game in three matches before dispatching Kaye Ann Emana, 6-4, 6-1.
The seventh-ranked Jarata matched that romp with a 6-4, 6-4 decision over Aix Gonzaga in boys’ 16-U finals then the Agoo, La Union find repeated over Gonzaga with 6-1, 6-3 triumph to clinch the 18-U plum and share the MVP honors with Maneja in the five-day tournament presented by Dunlop and held under the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala nationwide circuit put up by president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Sharing center stage were Samuel Davila from Cainta, Rizal (10-unisex), Prince Lim from Urdaneta, Pangasinan (boys’ 12-U), La Salle-Greenhills’ Mateo Rivas (boys’ 14-U), Reece Ballado from Munoz, Nueva Ecija (girls’ 12-U), Makeilah Nepomuceno from Mandaluyong (girls’ 14-U).
The second seeded Davila ripped No. 3 Novak Brazal, 4-2, 4-0; Lim repulsed Frank Dilao, 6-4, 3-6, 10-3; the unranked Rivas upended No. 6 Darwin Cosca, 6-4, 6-2; Ballado upset top seed Abejail Ansay, 6-2, 6-2; and Nepomuceno, another unseeded bet who shocked top seed Marielle Jarata, 6-2, 6-1, in the semis, subdued Mica Emana, 6-2, 6-2.
Jarata actually completed a three-title feat as he later teamed up with Charles Torres to beat Emmanuel Davila and Pablo Gonzaga, 8-3, for the 18-U doubles crown with the Emana sisters foiling Joshea Malazarte and Paula Uy, 8-7(5), for the girls’ title. Other doubles winners were siblings Prince and Roque Lim, and Jayden Ballado and Kaye Mustaza (14-U), and Brazal and Samuel Davila (10-unisex).
Meanwhile, action in the circuit, sanctioned by Unified Tennis Philippines made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg, resumes in Lapu Lapu City in Cebu tomorrow (Friday) with the next stop in Naga, Cebu for the Dagitab Festival on Dec. 14-21. For details, contact PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.