Marben Mosquera and Avril Suace came away with contrasting victories in the 14-and-under class and turned in runner-up finishes in higher divisions to bag top honors in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Dumalag leg regional tennis tournament at the Dumalag Tennis Club in Capiz yesterday.
The fourth-ranked Mosquera upended top seed Nikhel Nowlakha, 6-0, 6-2, in the semis then trounced Jan Lamparero, 6-1, 6-3, to cop the boys’ 14-U crown. But he fell short against fellow Ilonggo JJ Chrysler Gazo from Cabatuan, 4-6, 0-6, in the 18-U finals and yielded a 0-2(ret.) setback to Jon Jimenea, also of Iloilo, in the 16-U finals of the Group 2 event hosted by Mayor Amado Eriberto Castro Jr.
Suace, on the other hand, survived Rose Martirez, 6-7(4), 6-4, 10-2, to snare the girls’ 14-U title but the Central Philippine U stalwart bowed to Kalibo’s Averille Sacapano, 0-6, 0-2(ret.) in the 18-U finals of the fifth leg of the circuit sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop headed by president and CEO Bobby Castro.
La Carlota’s Kiana de Asis took the girls’ 16-U diadem with a 7-6(5), 6-2 win over Sacapano; Jufe-Ann Cocoy, also of La Carlota, held off Abigail Sacapano, 6-3, 6-3, to pocket the girls’ 12-U title; while Roxas City’s Derrick Guillano turned back Louchela Estember, 4-2, 1-4, 4-2, to nail the 10-unisex crown in the event presented by Slazenger.
Unranked Kalibo’s Nino Ronald Rey shared the spotlight by winning the boys’ 12-U plum, thwarting Rafael Legaspi, 6-1, 7-6(7), in the event backed by Asiatraders Corp. and sanctioned by Philta.
Gazo later teamed up with Paul Caspe to nip Matthew Flores and Jondreve Jimenea, 8-7(3), while Averille Sacapano and De Asis overpowered Louise Clavaton and Angela Depalobos, 8-2, for the boys’ and girls’ 18-U doubles crowns, respectively.