Mateo Rivas upended No. 2 Darwin Cosca in the semis then clipped Joshua Diva, 6-3, 6-2, to snare the boys’ 16-and-under crown while fellow Quezon City bet Mica Emana re-stamped her class in the girls’ side of the PPS-PEPP Apalit national age-group tennis tournament in Pampanga last Wednesday.
Five others from Makati City; Sta. Rosa, Laguna; Agoo, La Union; Pasig City; and Bacoor, Cavite and another from QC shared the spotlight but Rivas and Emana bagged the MVP honors again in the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop which drew full-packed 32-player rosters in four age divisions in the boys’ category.
The third-ranked Emana, who nailed a win and placed second in the Sta. Rosa, Laguna leg then swept the 16- and 18-U titles in the Olivarez Cup, blasted top seed Jana Diaz, 6-0, 6-3, in the 16-U semis then kept her poise to survive No. 2 Marielle Jarata, 7-6(7), 3-6, 11-9, and emerge a winner again in the country’s longest talent-search put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Meanwhile, action in the nationwide circuit heads to Cebu starting on Aug. 3 for the Lapu-Lapu City leg with Mandaue City hosting the next stop from Aug. 10-16. The City of Naga will stage the next leg on Aug. 17-24 before the PPS-PEPP Cebu swing wraps up in Consolacion, Laray on Aug. 25-31.
But she failed to complete another double as sister Kaye Ann Emana wore down her down, 6-3, 1-6, 12-10, in a grueling semis battle before the latter routed Jarata, 6-2, 6-1, to re-capture the 18-U crown she won in the Sta. Rosa, Laguna stop of the tournament backed by ProtekTODO, PalawanPay, the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating).
No. 8 Andre Coyiuto shocked top seed Pablo Olivarez III, 6-2, 6-1, then repelled No. 3 Yñigo Naredo, 0-6, 6-2, 10-2, to claim the boys’ 12-U crown; No. 1 France Dilao stopped third-ranked Reign Maravilla, 3-6, 6-2, 10-7, in the 14-U finals; and second seed Exequiel Jucutan crushed fellow La Union ace No. 1 Marc Jarata, 6-4, 6-0, for the boys’ 18-U diadem.
The fourth-ranked Rivas earlier flashed top form, dropping just three games in four matches, including an emphatic 6-1, 6-0 romp over Cosca on his way to the finals where he halted Diva, who bundled out top seed Kendrick Bona, 4-1, 5-4(4), in the semis.
In girls’ play, top seed Adriana Lanza outdueled No. 2 Maristella Torrecampo, 0-6, 6-3, 10-7, for the 12-U trophy; and No. 1 Janna Diaz crushed second ranked Sandra Bautista, 6-3, 6-2, in the 14-U finals.
