By MARK REY MONTEJO
Top seed AJ Lim lived up to his lofty billing by outlasting veteran Johnny Arcilla, 6-1, 6-2, to reign supreme in the men’s singles event of the 2024 Balangay Open on Thursday evening, May 16, in Butuan City.
The 24-year-old Lim encountered little problem in downing the country’s former No. 1 player in a match that lasted for an hour and a half to take home the ₱200,000 top prize.
The title win was the fourth for the Jean Henri Lhuillier and the Cebuana Lhuillier Sports-backed Lim since his return to competitive play in 2023 after an absence of almost two years.
Lim, who marked his comeback with a masterful win in the Mayor Eric Olivarez Cup last year, Lim stamped his class against Eric Olivarez Jr., 6-4, 6-3, in the semifinals, a fitting follow up his easy 6-1, 6-2 win over Dave Sebastian Mosqueda in the quarters.
In the opening round, Lim, who competed in several big events in Egypt last year, warned his rivals with a 6-0, 6-0 drubbing of Rain Ninal before winning by default in the second round.
The youngest winner in the PCA Open – country’s only major event – Lim is hoping to continue his fine showing in future tournaments.
Arcilla, who pocketed P100,000 in singles event, triumphed in doubles as he and Allen Gerry Manlangit defeated Mosqueda and Alexis Acabo, 6-0, 6-1, in the finals.
