Macie Carlos and Bliss Bayking bolstered their promising tennis careers by topping the Cebuana Lhuillier Girls’ Tennis Challenge at the Makati Sports Club Sunday and claiming berths in the WTA Future Stars Tournament in Singapore next month.
The top seeded Carlos sustained her fierce form from the elims to the semis then overpowered Mica Emana, 6-1, 6-2, to capture the 14-and-under crown while Bayking fended off Justine Maneja, 6-4, 6-1, in the 16-U finals of the Unified Tennis Philippines-sanctioned event which served as a qualifier for the Women’s Tennis Association Future Stars Finals.
“This competition has brought out the best in you and I wish you both good luck and hope you will continue to learn from this experience as you try to make our country proud,” said Cebuana Lhuillier president/CEO and UTP founder Jean Henri Lhuillier, of Carlos and Bayking, who will be slugging it out with their counterparts from across the Asia Pacific region in the WTA finals on Oct. 15-22 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Carlos powered her way to the championship in emphatic fashion, scoring three lopsided victories in the elims before disposing of second seed Julia Ignacio, 6-1, 6-2, in the crossover semis. Emana, on the other hand, turned back No. 3 Tiffany Nocos, 6-3, 7-6(8), but failed to neutralize the in-form Carlos in the finals of the event sponsored by Malayan Insurance, Dunlop and Makati Sports Club.
Bayking, meanwhile, upended top seed Rovie Baulete, 6-3, 6-2, in the Final Four while Maneja held off Minette Bentillo, 6-4, 6-3, but like Emana struggled against the surging Bayking.