Chung chalks up third PCA crown

For the third straight year, Chung Hee Seok of Korea is bringing home the shining PCA Open crown.

The Korean hotshot, at 30 years still bouncing on the court like a teenager, wore down Filipino No. 1 PJ Tierro in four sets yesterday, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 6-1, at the Philippine Columbian Association shell-clay courts.

Chung won the 2003 crown at the expense of Filipino Johnny Arcilla then beat a fellow Korean in the finals the following year. Against Tierro, it seemed at first that he had found his match.

The 20-year-old, six-foot Filipino took early control of the match, electrifying the loyal PCA crowd with his solid forehand, a booming serve and a handful of great passing shots.

But the Korean just refused to be cowed, coming to life in the second set, which he won via the tiebreak after trailing 0-3. It was all he needed to break the back of Tierro and the hearts of the Pinoy fans.

Making matters worse for the Filipino was a pulled left leg muscle he suffered after hitting a serve during the third set.

"He just hung in there. And when he won the second set, I felt like I lost my confidence. Then my leg started to hurt," said Tierro while having his legs massaged by two men who looked like Koreans.

Chung wrapped up the two-and-a-half-hour match with a big serve which Tierro netted on his return. The Koreans took off their caps as they shook hands over the net as the crowd applauded.

Chung will take home P80,000 and the trophy while Tierro will still have a lot of reasons to celebrate Christmas with his P40,000 runner-up purse in the tournament presented by Basilan Gov. Muslim "Wahab" Akbar.

Czarina Mae Arevalo, the country’s top female netter, brought newcomer Bambi Zoleta to school and nailed the women’s singles title with a 6-1, 6-3 win that lasted only 40 minutes.

The 20-year-old Arevalo was too much for Zoleta, a precocious 13-year-old from Lucena City. The champion watched the men’s finals from up in the stands with her friends.

Arevalo won the title and the P30,000 purse despite an ankle injury she sustained during the recent SEA Games. She said she wasn’t even supposed to join the PCA Open because of the injury.

"But since there were no Koreans in the women’s side, I was asked to compete when I should have rested," said Arevalo who in the end, didn’t mind at all playing hurt – as long as she won the title.