MANILA, Philippines - Jan Godfrey Seno and Alexie Santos swept three titles each in the Philta-Palawan Pawnshop Regional Age-Group Championships presented by Babolat, including the premier 18-and-under crowns, at the Cebu International Tennis Center in Consolacion, Cebu City last Sunday.
Seno whisked off Daniel Jessie Villarin, 4-1, 2-1(Ret.), to cop the 18-U title after scoring a pair of 4-0, 4-0 routs over Villarin and Francis Gener Lambayan in the 16-U and 14-U finals of the weekly event, the last of two legs hosted by Cebu and sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and Babolat.
Santos, on the other hand, foiled first Cebu leg winner Jana Pages, 5-3, 4-2, in the girls’ 18-U championship after bagging the 16-U and 14-U diadems with 4-0, 4-0 and 4-0, 4-1 romps over Khyshana Hitosis and Pages, respectively.
Second seed Zethley Alferes took the girls’ 12-U title with a 4-2, 5-3 victory over giant-killer Dana Abad, while No. 2 Lambayan overwhelmed Karl Baran, 4-1, 4-0, to claim the boys’ 12-U plum in the event sanctioned by Philta as part of its nationwide talent search.
Top seed Sebastian Santos survived Nonito Pepito, 4-2, 4-5, 10-8, to snatch the 10-unisex title in the event.
“We were very happy with the huge turnout in the Visayas leg. Credit should also go to the host clubs in Bacolod, Iloilo and Cebu for their all-out support to our junior development program,” said Palawan Pawnshop COO Bobby Castro.
Meanwhile, action resumes Oct. 5-8 with the staging of the Mindanao leg in Davao. For details, call tournament in-charge Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464 or email bobbymangunay@yahoo.com.
“We hope to attract more players, especially from the younger ones, to join our series of tournaments which instill the benefits of physical fitness and core values that help address juvenile delinquency,” said Philta president Rep. Edwin Olivarez.