Palawan junior tennis set for three-stop Mindanao swing
MANILA, Philippines — The Palawan Pawnshop nationwide junior tennis circuit shifts to Mindanao next week for a three-tournament swing that will take the country’s premier grassroots talent-search to Davao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato.
This thus gives the region’s young players another major platform to compete, gain ranking points and valuable experience and showcase their skills.
Following the successful staging of the Palawan Junior Series last March, which featured stops across the Visayas and Luzon, the long-running circuit continues its nationwide trek with a busy Mindanao schedule designed to sustain the momentum of junior tennis while providing more youngsters from the countryside an opportunity to test themselves against the best players in their age groups.
The Mindanao swing kicks off with the MJFC “Araw ng Digos Junior Age-Group Championships” from September 2-8 at the Digos City courts in Davao del Sur, with another strong field expected to vie for honors in the boys’ and girls’ singles in the 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-and-under categories.
Titles in the boys’ and girls’ 14-and-U and 18-and-U doubles will also be disputed in the tournament being held in honor of Digos City Mayor Josef Fortich Cagas.
The series then moves to Sultan Kudarat for the Bagong Pilipinas age-group tournament from September 10-15, with the Capital Indoor and Outdoor courts in Isulan serving as venue. The Mindanao swing wraps up with the Kidapawan Juniors Championship from September 16-22 at the Kidapawan City courts in Cotabato.
For details and registration, contact tournament director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
The Mindanao schedule underscores Palawan Pawnshop’s continuing commitment to bringing competitive junior tennis closer to the countryside, where a growing number of promising players are emerging but often lack opportunities to compete in high-level tournaments.
The sustained growth of the sport has also been given a boost by the worldwide rise of Alex Eala, whose breakthrough performances on the international stage have inspired a new generation of Filipino youngsters to pursue tennis and dream of competing at the highest level.
Palawan Pawnshop has remained at the forefront of this grassroots movement, sustaining a year-round, nationwide junior circuit that goes beyond simply staging tournaments. The program serves as an extensive talent-identification and development platform, allowing promising players to gain competition experience and potentially earn consideration for future national pools and teams.
More importantly, the circuit seeks to identify and nurture the next generation of world-class Filipino players by giving youngsters, particularly those from the provinces, a pathway to develop their game and measure their progress against their peers from different parts of the country.
Sanctioned by Philta and Universal Tennis Ranking and supported by Dunlop, ICON Golf & Sports and the Palawan Group of Companies, the nationwide talent-search was initiated by Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro as part of his continuing effort to raise the standard of junior tennis in the country.
Castro’s program places particular emphasis on discovering talent outside the traditional tennis centers, providing young players from the countryside with regular opportunities to compete, improve and gain exposure.
And while Mindanao takes center stage for three consecutive weeks, the nationwide circuit remains in full swing elsewhere.
Siquijor will host another junior tournament, the Governor’s Cup, from Sept. 17-22 at the Capitol tennis courts. The event, sponsored by Gov. Jake Villa, will feature the same age-group divisions, adding another venue for young players to compete and sharpen their skills.
With tournaments scheduled in several regions, the Palawan Pawnshop junior circuit continues to fulfill its dual role of keeping the country’s young tennis players active and competitive while building a deeper pool of talent capable of carrying Philippine tennis to greater heights in the years ahead. (Pool story)
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