Palawan Open finale

MANILA, Philippines — Fil-American Christopher Papa set up a heavyweight men’s singles title clash against top local player Alberto Lim Jr. in the P2 million Palawan Open Tennis Championships.

Meanwhile, Marian Capadocia continued her defiant run, setting up a tantalizing women’s finals showdown against top seed Tennielle Madis.

The Final Four matches delivered high drama late Friday, but none matched the fourth-ranked Papa’s grueling 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(4) reversal over Indian top seed Digvijay Singh.

Papa and Singh engaged in a brutal, baseline mano-a-mano war in the deciding set. But it was the former who secured a spot in the finals of the tournament presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, Gentry Timepieces and Bagong Pilipinas.

The women’s final is set today at 3 p.m. to be followed by the men’s final.