Tiny Maristella Torrecampo put up a show of her own in the PPS-PEPP Puerto Princesa National Juniors tennis championships, overpowering Cadee Dagoon, 6-1, 6-2, in the girls’ 12-and-under finals and sharing top podium with Mcleen Gomera at the Karawatan-ESJ-PNP courts in Palawan recently.
Torrecampo rode on the momentum of her 6-0, 6-3 romp over Ronielle Oliveros in the semis then clipped Dagoon, who upended Mitchellen Cruspero, 6-3, 6-3, in the Final Four, with her energy and grit as the rising Los Baños star led the mix of players who shone in the weeklong tournament held side-by-side with the Open Championship topped by Johnny Arcilla.
Gomera, meanwhile, crushed Cyd Villamar, 6-3, 6-2, to pocket the boys’ 16-U plum and though he fell short of his bid for a second title against top seed John David Velez from Ormoc City in the 18-U finals, 5-7, 1-6, the Bacolod, Lanao del Norte bet clinched and shared the MVP honors with Torrecampo in the event presented by Dunlop.
No. 2 AJ Acabo, from Zamboanga Sigubay, upended top seed Christine Gulagula from Dapitan City, 6-2, 6-2, to win the girls’ 18-U trophy; unfancied Chelsea Bernaldez from Tagum City repulsed No. 1 Therese Gauran, 4-1, 5-3, in the semis, then foiled Angel Vosotros, 6-1, 4-6, 10-5, to snare the 16-U crown; and Imus, Cavite’s Sandra Bautista routed Gauran, 6-1, 6-2, for the 14-U title in the country’s longest-talent search put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Benedict Lim from Lanao del Norte, on the other hand, survived Lexious Cruz from Nueva Ecija in a grueling encounter, 7-6(3), 4-6, 10-8, to nail the boys’ 14-U trophy with Cruz winning the 12-U crown with a 6-1, 6-1 rout of top seed Rafa Callao.
Meanwhile, action in the circuit, backed by ProtekTODO, PalawanPay, the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating), resumes today (Sunday) with the Buglasan Festival Open and Legends tournaments in Dumaguete City with junior hostilities to start on Oct. 6.
