Ruth Demafelis and Drixcyn Guillano played true to form and produced a pair of victories in the PPS-PEPP Pulilan leg national age-group tennis circuit in the Group 2 tournament at the Pulilan Tennis Club in Bulacan last Friday.
Demafelis overpowered second seed Sara Sedillo, 6-2, 6-0, to nail the girls’ 16-and-under crown although the spearhead of Team Solinco needed to come up with big hits to turn back Princess Luna, 6-3, 6-4, in the 18-U finals.
Guillano, on the other hand, scored an abbreviated 6-1, 3-0(ret.) win over Kidron Pascua in the boys’ 16-U championship but the Roxas City, Capit ace needed to rally from a set down to frustrate giant-killer Francis Mendoza, 1-6, 6-4, 10-4, in the finals of the premier division and match Demafelis’ feat in one of a string of three-setters that marked the week-long staging of the event presented by Dunlop.
Demafelis and Guillano thus shared the MVP honors.
Other winners were Jeo Tampoco (10-unisex), Josian Salangsang (boys’ 12-U), and Pascua (14-U), all from Team Solinco, and Caloocan’s Elyssa Abellera (girls’ 12-U) and local ace Amby Gabriel (girls’ 14-U).
The unseeded Tampoco wore down Ren Magcosta, 5-4(3), 5-3; Salangsang subdued Derrick Guillano, 6-3, 3-6, 10-3; Pascua upended top seed Kurt Balela, 2-6, 6-4, 10-8; Abellera repulsed Mae Lorenzo, 1-6, 6-4, 10-5; and Gabriel outlasted Edreah dela Torre, 6-7(4), 6-3, 10-6.
“The number of matches that went through the distance further underscores the level playing field with new faces continuing to emerge which has been the circuit’s long-standing commitment,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Action in the Mindanao tour heats up this weekend with the staging of the Liloy leg in Zamboanga del Norte with Sindangan, Zamboa del Norte hosting the next stop on May 2-5. Action then shifts to ZDN capital Dipolog while Oroquieta, Misamis Occidental takes its turn to stage the circuit on May 8-11.
Listup for all tournaments is ongoing. For details, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
Meanwhile, Casey Bagadiong and Sedillo foiled Demafelis and Luna in the 18-U doubles, snatching an 8-5 victory while Francis Mendoza and Pascua also hacked out an 8-6 decision over Derrick and Drixcyn Guillano in the boys’ final of the event which served as part of the Luzon swing of the PPS-PEPP circuit. Other winners were Dela Torre-LJ Quines and Balela-RJ Guillano (14-U) and Tampoco-Arlo Quines (10-U).
