Victorino, Abadia clash for crown

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Davis Cuppers Adelo Abadia and Joseph Victorino registered contrasting victories Friday night to forge a title showdown in the men’s singles of the first Coca-Cola National Tennis Championships at the New Subic Bay International Tennis Center here.

The second-ranked Abadia, who returned to the national team last October after a four-month hiatus, defeated fellow Davis Cupper Michael Mora III, 6-4, 6-4, to make his 10th trip to the finals.

Abadia, the hero in the Philippines’ 3-2 victory over Kuwait in last month’s Davis Cup tie, seeks to win his sixth career title against the third-seeded Victorino.

"Magaling yung bata, dehado ako. Kailangan kong maging mas aggressive sa kanya," said Abadia, who lost to Victorino in the Classic Pro semis, 6-7, 6-4, 0-6, two years ago.

Victorino, the youngest member of the national team at 18, survived ninth seed Pop Sabandon of La Salle, 6-2, 7-6 (3), for his fourth finals appearance.

The finals will be on May 11 with the champion earning P20,000 and the runner-up P10,000 in this Group A event presented by Coca-Cola Bottlers Inc.