Canlas unseats Talatayod, captures First Gen crown

MANILA, Philippines - Calvin Canlas put on display the skills he gained from a recent Japan stint as he dethroned top seed Dheo Talatayod, 6-7(6), 6-0, 6-1, to pocket the 18-and-under crown in the fifth First Gen Juntaphil Metro Age Group Tennis Championships at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center last weekend.

The second-seeded Canlas, an incoming Ateneo senior who is coming off a stint in Japan as part of Juntaphil’s exchange program with the Hyogo Tennis Association, recovered from a first-set loss via tiebreak with a convincing win in the next two sets to claim the crown in the centerpiece division of the event presented by First Gen Corp. and sponsored by Smart Communications.

Fourth-ranked Roxanne Resma capped the final day for the lesser-fancied bets as she repulsed top seed Colleen Coyiuto, 6-2, 6-2, to capture the girls’ 18-U diadem.

Unranked Khim Iglupas also completed her rise to fame by defeating third seed Frances Santiago, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, to cop the girls’ U-14 crown while top seed Christian Lopez ended Chris Prulla’s string of victories with a 6-0, 6-1 romp in the boys’ 14-U finals.

Top seed Jed Olivarez survived No. 3 Kyle Parpan, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3, to win the boys’ 16-U plum.

Iglupas and Resma later teamed up to win the girls’ 18-U doubles crown with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Coyiuto and Isabella Mendoza, while Enrique Ferrer and Talatayod took the boys’ double title with a 1-1 (ret.) win over Marcen Gonzales and Kyle Joseph.

Jerome Romualdez and Brysl Libao also fashioned out a 3-0 (ret.) victory over Luis Ong and Fel Lopez in the boys 14-U doubles finals while Juan Jugo and Ryotaro Shimomura foiled Michael Eala and Alex Eala, 4-1, 2-4, 10-5, to cop the 10-unisex doubles crown.

The event is backed by Technifibre as official ball, and RCBC, Pet One, Brother Sewing Machines and conducted by Juntaphil.