LOCAL girl Tennielle Madis emerged as the biggest winner at the recent Cebuana Lhuillier Age Group Tennis Championship Series leg in M’lang in North Cotabato, ruling two individual categories and sharing a doubles’ title while sibling Jazzelle Madis added another individual title.
Tennielle was an easy 6-2, 6-2 winner over province-mate Sittie Nur Manangking in the girls’ 12-under and duplicated it with an even easier 6-0, 6-0 victory over Jasmen Kadalum, also from North Cotabato. She then added the girls’ 14-under doubles’ title as she partnered with Kadalum and beat Manangking and Daniela Dalandanin, 8-4, in the finals of the tournament backed by Dunlop as the official ball.
Jazzelle, meanwhile, shocked multi-titlist Carlyn Bless Guarde, 6-4, 6-2, in the finals of the girls’ 16-under for her share of family wins, but Guarde got back at her erstwhile tormentor when they met anew in the girls’ 18-under championship match as she swept her opponent, 6-2, 6-2, for the crown.
“With the end of hostilities in Marawi City, we expect even bigger number of entries in our remaining legs in the series. Participation in the past legs in Mindanao was also good as sports is always a good unifier,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President/CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier, who initiated the country’s longest-running age group tennis eleven years ago.
In the boys’ side, the Sonsona brothers, John Christopher and John Steven, had their own family act in the tournament as they won an individual title each, with the latter annexing a doubles’ title, too.
John Christopher, who hails from Tubod, Lanao del Norte, had a two-set victory over Abdel Qadzri Matarul, 4-0, 4-1, in the boys’ 12-under, while John Steven had his way over Kidapawan City bet Joaquin Karl Palo, 7-6, 6-4, in the boys’ 16-under, before teaming up with Al-Fahdz Matarul to edge out Stephen Zion Guia and Angil Jay Balaoing, 8-7, in the boys’ 18-under doubles.
John Steven missed out in the boys’ 18-under as he bowed down to Guia in a three setter, 6-4, 7-5, 10-1.
The other boys’ division winners were Balaoing in the 14-under, beating Palo, 6-4, 6-3 in the finals, and Abdel Matarul, who ruled the 10-under unisex group with a 4-0, 4-1 win over Ben Jason Flores.
In the doubles’ matches, Flores and partner Jose Patrick Cabanting edged out Matarul and Alexander Uy, 1-4, 4-2, 4-2, to win the 10-under unisex title.
Next leg in this grassroots tennis developmental program will be in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat.