CEBU, Philippines – Cebuano netter Jerico ‘Jick-Jick’ Bohol showcased his ware to win his first singles title in the Indian Club Centenary Tennis tournament in Bahrain.
Bohol' showed a very impressive performance all throughout the entire tournament after years of struggle to get into the final round.
Bohol opened his bid with a convincing 6-0,6-0 win over Pakistan’s Hussaifa Sidiqui, followed by another easy victory against Indian Sabrish Kodoor, 6-1, 6-0.
In the quarterfinals, Bohol came up with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph over Lebanon’s Roy Boutagy to arrange a semifinals match against hometown player Khalid Mosaw.
With the full support of Filipino tennis community in Bahrain, Bohol claimed the elusive finals ticket after beating Mosaw, 6-3, 6-0.
He kept his momentum in the final where he cruised to the championship trophy with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Rashed Obaildy of Bahrain.
"Very happy ko sa akong pagkadaog. At least na-prove nako sa ubang lahi nga dili nila masayun-sayun ang mga Pinoy diri sa tennis. Pasalamat ko ni God nga gitagaan ko niya ug abilidad sa tennis," said Bohol.
Aside from Bohol, three other Pinoy tennis players was also successful in the tournament with another Cebuano, Dwight Alivio along with Manila's Abby Pelagio taking the runner-up trophy in the mixed doubles category while Masbate's Claire Pilapil ended as runner-up in the women's open.
Meanwhile, Nino Siso who was also invited to join this year's prestigious event failed to enter the seminal round of the super-singles, but got a lot of experiences out of his comeback in the international scene. (FREEMAN)