Arcilla, Tierro thwart rivals, forge title clash

MANILA, Philippines - Johnny Arcilla and Patrick John Tierro survived a pair of three-set thrillers to arrange an explosive title showdown in the fourth Olivarez Cup Open Tennis Championship at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque last Friday.

The top seeded Arcilla, who dropped just eight games and never lost a set on his way to the semis, bucked Fil-Italian Marc Reyes and cramps in the third set as he rallied from an opening set setback to win the next two, including a tense decider for a 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 victory.

Facing his toughest challenge in the week, Arcilla actually surged to a 5-2 lead in the decider but sustained cramps after moving three match points at 40-15, slowing him down and enabling Reyes to fight back and make it a 5-6 game.

But Arcilla leaned on his experience and poise to break his 25-year-old rival on the 12th game, ending the three-hour and 20-minute encounter with a crosscourt backhand as he remained on track of his back-to-back title bid in the tournament held in honor of Philta president and Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez and presented by Palawan Pawnshop.

Unlike Arcilla, Tierro broke young Alberto Lim once to seize the opening set but faltered in the second before recovering his bearing and re-stamping his class over his 14-year-old rival to hack out a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 decision in two hours, 10 minutes.

The third seeded Tierro also never dropped a set heading to the Final Four but found Lim a worthy challenger, needing to impose his will in the third to scuttle the promising Letran mainstay.

Arcilla and Tierro face off at 1 p.m. today for the crown and the top P40,000 purse staked in the week-long event sanctioned by Philta and backed by Dunlop as official ball.

Meanwhile, third seed Ronald Joven and Leander Lazaro upended No. 2 Arcilla and Vicente Anasta, 6-4, 6-4, to barge into the finals of the men’s doubles against the top-seeded pair of Tierro and Reyes.

Tierro and Reyes overcame No. 5 Jason Patrombon and Fritz Verdad, 2-6, 6-2, 10-7.