Khim Iglupas bucked a sluggish start and beat Shaira Rivera, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, to clinch the women’s singles final of the PPS-PEPP Dagitab Tennis Festival Open in Naga City, Cebu recently.
Jeson Patrombon, on the other hand, ended veteran Johnny Arcilla’s reign with a 7-6(6), 6-2 romp to claim the men’s singles title and complete the Iligan City bets’ sweep of the season-ending Open tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and the LGUs of Naga City led by Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong.
Patrombon, a former Australian Open boys’ singles quarterfinalist, proved steadier Arcilla in the tiebreaker after the top two ranked players held serves in the first 12 games of the opening set, hinting at a tight, grueling finish.
But the 24-year-old Patrombon pressed his bid after breaking Arcilla in the third game of the second frame, holding serve in the fourth before breaking his rival again to go up, 4-1.
Arcilla, who has dominated the Open tournaments of the annual PPS-PEPP circuit the last three years, snapped his slump and took the sixth game but Patrombon easily won the next, yielding just one point to annex the crown worth P30,000.
Iglupas, meanwhile, overcame a listless start that saw Rivera break her in the fifth game before sweeping the next three. But the top seeded bet, who whipped Patricia Velez, 6-0, 6-1, in the semis, struck back midway in the next, breaking Rivera in the fifth and seventh to force the decider.
She kept her momentum in the third, sweeping the first four games. And though Rivera, who eased past Aileen Rogan, 6-2, 6-0, in the Final Four, held serve in the fifth and broke back in the sixth for a 4-2 count, Iglupas regrouped and fought back from love-30 by racking up four straight points. She then held serve in the eighth game to complete the come-from-behind win and snatch the top P20,000 purse.
Iglupas later teamed up with Arcilla to beat Tierro and Rivera, 6-3, 6-1, for the mixed doubles crown.
Meanwhile, the season-ending tournament of the country’s longest and biggest talent-search with over 50 events will be held Dec. 26-30 for the PPS-PEPP Angeles, Pampanga leg at the Angeles City Tennis Club in Villa Gloria Subd., according to PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director and organizer Bobby Mangunay.