Balanga, Villamor top PPTO Nueva Ecija leg

MANILA, Philippines - Edilyn Balanga held off doubles partner Marinel Rudas, 6-3, 6-4, while Alberto Villamor turned back Jet Tangalin, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, to rule the Peugeot Philippines Tennis Open Nueva Ecija leg at the Center Court Tennis Club in Cabanatuan City recently.

Balanga, the country’s No. 6, proved steadier than the seventh-ranked Rudas in both sets of their tightly fought match, squeezing out the victory in the women’s singles final to clinch a berth in the national finals of the four-leg event set in Manila in February.

The duo then teamed up to defeat Hanna Espinosa and Erika Manduriao, 6-3, 7-5, for the women’s doubles diadem.

Villamor, on the other hand, battled back from an opening set setback and dominated Baguio’s ace Tangalin in the next two as the La Salle bet completed his come-from-behind victory in the men’s singles finals.

On his way to the crown, Villamor struggled past Vince Salas in the semis, pulling off a two-hour, 40-minute victory in the longest match thus far in the circuit.

Salas bounced back from that defeat as he partnered with Al Michael Madrio to crush John Mari Altiche and Kyle Parpan, 6-3, 6-1, to snare the men’s doubles title.

“The Nueva Ecija leg has been our most exciting leg yet with the participation of some of our country’s top tennis players who displayed their skill and talent in the court,” said Peugeot Philippines president Glen Dasig, looking forward to another high-powered leg in Cebu in January.

“We are eager to witness similar high intensity, exciting matches in the last two legs of the PPTO in Cebu and Manila in early 2016,” said Dasig.

Aside from cash prizes from Peugeot Philippines and giveaways from tournament sponsor, Wilson, the Nueva Ecija leg winners will face the other victors of the three other regional qualifying legs in the national finals.

Cebu will host the final elims leg on Jan. 9-15. The event is open to Filipino tennis players aged 13 and above. For details and listup, visit the nearest Peugeot dealership, regional representatives or visit the official PPTO 2015 website www.peugeottennis.ph. Registration fee is P500.

Other backers of the event are Smart and Total.

For results and updates, visit the tournament’s official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PeugeotPHTennisOpen.