POC-PSC National Games: Patrimonios bag 2 golds in tennis

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines  – Sisters Anna Clarice and Anna Christine Patrimonio made the 2011 POC-PSC National Games look like their own playground, scooping up two golds and a silver in the women’s tennis competitions yesterday at the Center Court Tennis Center here.

After besting their rivals in the women’s doubles division, the Patrimonio sisters went further by finishing 1-2 in singles play, with the younger Clarice taking home the plum and joining the ranks of double-gold medalists in this meet.

Seeded second in the 32-player field, 17-year-old Clarice outplayed her big sis with solid power game and groundstrokes, 6-4, 6-2, to lead the winners on the penultimate day of action in various venues here and surrounding cities.

Like Patrimonio, Phl team mainstays were also triumphant in billiards, with fancied Rubilen Amit sustaining an unbeaten run to the women’s 9-ball crown and Doha Asian Games silver medalist Jeff de Luna putting order to upset-rocked men’s pool by claiming the diadem over little known Davao bet Delfin Tugado.

Ditto Beijing Olympian Mark Javier imposed his will in archery’s recurve senior men’s hostilities, thumping  Paul dela Cruz in the 70-meter Olympic round, to complement his earlier conquests in the  70m, 30m, 50m and single FITA rounds.

Aspirant Kevin Lyndonn Eijansantos shared the floor with national pool mainstay Mary Pauline Fornea in accident-hit sprint triathlon over in Talisay City, boosting his shot at a possible entry to the Phl pool.

Clarice, the more active of the Patrimonio siblings, went 2-0 against the top seeded Christine, 19, in two head-to-head meetings so far. “This is one of the hardest matches for me, playing against my big sister,” said Clarice in Filipino. “I was just conditioning my mind that I’m playing against another person so as not to feel the pressure.”

Earlier, Clarice and Christine fought back from a one-set deficit to edge Phl Fed Cup teammates Tamitha Nguyen and Marian Jade Capadocia, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3, for the doubles crown.

Davis Cupper Albert Anasta asserted his mastery in men’s singles, scoring a 6-3, 7-5 trouncing of 19-year-old Cebuano Israel Abarquez. However, Anasta and partner Juvan Divinagracia yielded the doubles diadem to Dheo Talatayod and Leander Lazaro, 6-1, 4-6, 4-6.

Much-heralded Amit stormed to a 9-2 lead against fellow national Mary Ann Basas en route to an 11-7 triumph that validated her status as Phl’s top lady cuemaster.

“Medyo kinabahan pa rin ako noong humabol siya sa 9-7. Buti nakabawi at naka-hill, tapos nung last rack, na-break and run out ko (I still felt pressured especially when she came back at 9-7),” said Amit, who will next compete in the China Open in June.

For his part, De Luna hacked out a title-clinching 11-8 verdict over Tugado, who earlier upset veteran Ramil Gallego (9-8) in a hill-hill semis outing.

Eijansantos finished the sprint distance (750-meter swim, 20-km bike and 5-km) race in 1:07:46.00, beating Cagayan de Oro’s Banjo Norte (1:09:21) and former age-group (13-15) champ John Ronnel Uy (1:11:00).

National junior triathlete Philip Jorolan was actually the first off the swim leg (11:04) but could not finish the race after getting hit by a tricycle in the bike phase. He suffered minor bruises and was taken to a hospital and eventually discharged. His bike fork was messed up, though.

“I did my best because I was deadlast during my last race (Subic International Triathlon), having got lost in the route,” Eijansantos, 18, said in Filipino. “It’s really my dream to be in the national team and hopefully, this will become a reality.”

Seventeen-year-old Phl pool member Fornea from Davao played true to form in ruling the distaff side (1:23:03.00) over lone rival Samantha Tiro (1:37.14.00).