Sanico sweeps three Palawan net crowns

MANILA, Philippines - Local ace Joy Camille Sanico flashed top form and racked up three girls’ crowns while Joshua Torres completed his third straight “twinkill” in the boys section of the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age-group tournament presented by Technifibre at the Isabel Tennis Club shellcourt in Isabel, Leyte last Sunday.

Sanico, a mainstay of ITC, routed Rae Manas, 4-0, 4-0, to cop the centerpiece 18-and-U crown then added the 14- and 16-U diadems with 4-1, 4-0 and 4-2, 4-1 romps over top seed Anica Cari and Jasmin Tajil, respectively, in the four-day tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association.

Torres, on the other hand, crushed Ghyiem Basalo, 4-0, 4-0, to capture the boys’ 12-U title then survived a first-set scare against Chyme Arradazza before scoring a 5-4(4), 4-0 victory in the 14-U finals.

The twin wins thus capped Torres’ domination of the Leyte swing of the circuit as the Baybay, Leyte native also swept the two divisions in the Baybay and Maasin stages the last two weeks.

“We thanked Palawan Pawnshop for giving us this chance to host one of their tournaments which didn’t only boost the sport here but also gave our local players the opportunity to showcase their talent and skills,” said Mayor Greg Cerillo.

Cari, meanwhile, rebounded from her loss to Sanico and beat Grace Doring, 4-0, 4-2, to pocket the 12-U plum while sibling Michael Ivan Cari held off Paolo Loreto, 4-2, 5-4(6) to clinch the boys’ 18-U title.

But Loreto got back at Michael Cari in the 16-U finals, pulling off a gripping 5-4(1), 2-4, (10-7) victory while Basalo snared the 10-unisex crown with a 4-1, 4-0 victory over Maryella Entia.

“Although Sanico dominated the girls’ side, the boys section proved too close to call with Cari and Loreto splitting top honors, underscoring the level playing field,” said Palawan Pawnshop COO Bobby Castro.

Meanwhile, the year-long, nationwide circuit winds up in Cebu beginning tomorrow  a Group 2 tournament tipped to draw another huge, talent-laden crowd.

For details, contact the Palawan Pawnshop secretariat at 0915-4046464.