Iloilo hosts Philta regional age-group tennis

MANILA, Philippines - The 2012 Philta-Palawan Pawnshop Regional Age-Group Championships presented by Babolat kicks off its six-leg circuit tomorrow in Iloilo City with more than 200 youngsters expected to see action at the La Paz Tennis Club.

The five-day tournament ending Sept. 4 hopes to provide young players in Iloilo a venue where they could show their talent and skills as part of the Philippine Tennis Association’s nationwide talent-search. Events on tap are the 10-under Unisex, 12-under, 14-under, 16-under and 18-under.

“It’s time for our young players from Iloilo CIty to display their talent and we hope to discover more athletes who can be trained for future international competitions,” said Philta regional vice-president and Palawan Pawnshop chief operating officer Bobby Castro.

“After this circuit, we expect to produce competitive athletes like former junior campaigners Jeson Patrombon and Francis Casey Alcantara, who are products of Philta’s grassroots development program,” said Philta president and Rep. Edwin Olivarez.

The tournament, which serves as the regional tennis sports tournament program for children, is aimed at addressing the need for a grassroots tennis program centered on values formation inherent in the practice of tennis sports and play.

Deadline for listup in the Iloilo leg is at 12 noon today, according to tournament-in-charge Bobby Mangunay. For details, contact 0195-4046464 or email [email protected].

“We’re very thrilled to bring this circuit to the Visayas region and we’re all inviting tennis enthusiasts to participate in the tournament,” said Technosports president Gillermo Nocom, adding that two legs are on tap each in Bacolod and Cebu City.

All winners in the 10-under, 12-under and 14-under categories will represent the country in some ITF (International Tennis Federation) tournaments in Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and South Korea courtesy of Palawan Pawnshop.