MANILA, Philippines - Jenni Celine Dizon and young John David Velez kept their dominant run in their respective divisions to lead the winners in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala age-group tennis tournament at the Eco 4 Tennis Club in Davao City recently.
The top seeded Dizon survived an opening set scare then imposed her will in the next to down Rachel Velez, 5-4(3), 4-1, and capture the girls’ 18-and-Under crown after ruling the same event in the Tagu, Digos and Davao legs of the circuit sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop COO Bobby Castro and Guillermo Nocom, president of Technosports, distributor of Babolat.
Velez, ranked No. 2, matched that four-leg romp as he upended top seed Ma. Angela Novis, 4-1, 4-1, to pocket the 10-unisex diadem in the four-day tournament which featured the winners of all the legs in the circuit’s Mindanao swing.
Krizzan Dumlao from Tadeco, however, foiled Dizon in the 16-and-U finals, hacking out a 5-3, 4-1 victory while Rachel Velez, also from Davao City, took the 14-and-U title with a 4-1, 4-0 triumph over Jessica Carcueva.
The Toril-based Carcueva, on the other hand, bagged the 12-and-U crown with a 4-2, 4-1, romp over Novis.
“With no player winning more than one title only underscores the level playing field of the tournament. These young players are really working hard to reach their full potential and we will be here to help provide them top-level tournaments such as this,†said Castro.
Jaffari Cariga toppled fellow Davao City find Christian Fel Lopez, 4-2, 4-2, to clinch the premier 18-and-U crown but Lopez took the 16-and-U title with a 4-0, 4-1 rout of Cariga. Lordeans Pacheco, also from Davao City, whisked off Jefferson Alqueza, 5-3, 4-1, to snare the 14-and-U diadem while Abdul Hannan Cariga captured the 12-and-U crown with a tough 4-5, 4-2, 10-8 squeaker over Nicole Gorospe.