Visiting players from adjoining provinces, including the Visayas, dominated the recent Cebuana Lhuillier Age-Group Tennis Championship Series leg in Mambajao, Camiguin, with only one local bet holding ground by winning the boys’ 16-under.
Tiffany Claire Nocos, Janus Matthew Rosales, Vaugh Spencer Codilla and Nash Agustines posted double wins in the tournament that attracted 134 entries and backed by Dunlop as the official ball.
Nocos, from Llapu-Lapu City in Cebu, maintained her stranglehold on the girls’ 14-under and 16- under age groups, though she was extended to three sets in both finals matches.
She beat Jonamil Prado from Mati City, Davao Oriental, 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 in the championship match in the 14-under before coming from behind in the finals of the 16-under against Jonamil Prado, also from Mati, for a 3-6, 6-3, 10-6 win.
Rosales, however, emerged with the most number of wins as he took both the 10-under unisex and the 12-under boys’ titles aside from sharing the 10-under unisex doubles’ crown.
He swept aside Mories Mesiona Jr. from Bais City, Negros Occidental, 4-2, 4-1 for the unisex title and defeated Jolimar Prado, 6-3,6-4 in the finals of the boys’ 12-under, before teaming up with Troy Joshua Lapara for a 4-2, 4-1 win over the duo of Dyeinah Olalo and Bryzen Sanchez for the 10-under unisex doubles’ title.
“It is the likes of Rosales that we are hoping to discover in this series, now the country’s longest-running grassroots tennis program as they will be the ones at the forefront of Philippine tennis in the future,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President/CEO of the sponsoring Cebuana Lhuillier Group.
Familiar name Nash Agustines from Oroquieta City beat local bet Prince Boy Jaculan, 6-2, 6-4, in the finals of the boys’ 14-under and partnered with John Christopher Sonsona to share the boys’ 14-under doubles’ title.
Surigao City’s Vaughn Spencer Codilla emerged boys’ 18-under champion after posting an easy 6-1, 6-2 victory over local player Justine Chan, then in tandem with Kenichiro Suzuki, shared the boys’ 18- under crown.
Other female champions were Siquijor’s Ellaine Rose Bahonsua, who edged out Shedel Aighey Gica from Cebu City, 7-5, 6-4, to rule the girls’ 18-under category; and Mati City’s Nina Louis Nicole Uy, who went home with the girls’ 12-under crown following a 6-0, 6-2 beating of Tagbilaran’s Olalo.
The sole local player to win was Symon James Jaculan, who beat another local bet Andrei Cagmat, 7-5, 6-1, in the finals of the boys’ 16-under.