Mica Ella Emana won two titles while John David Velez settled for one victory due to cramps in the PPS-PEPP Manila Polo Club National age-group tennis tournament at the MPC outdoor courts in Forbes Park in Makati City over the weekend.
The second seeded Emana trounced No. 1 and doubles partner Marielle Jarata, 6-1, 6-2, to claim the girls’ 12-and-under plum then the rising Quezon City star upended top seed Julia Ignacio, 6-3, 6-4, in the semis then repeated over Jarata, 6-4, 6-1, to clinch the 14-U diadem.
Velez, on the other hand, crushed Keno Enriquez, 6-0, 6-0, to run away with the boys’ 14-U crown but the Davao ace failed to buck cramps and dropped a tough 4-6, 6-7(6) loss to Gabriel Gurria from Imus, Cavite in the 16-U finals of the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop and sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Pera Padala.
Unable to endure the pain, Velez yielded a 0-1 (ret.) loss to QC’s Loucas Fernandez in the 18-U championship. But with a win and two finals stints, he shared the MVP honors with Emana.