Foiled at home last week, April Minette Bentillo tries to do it on the road as she guns for three division titles in the PPS-PEPP Gen. Santos regional age-group tennis tournament, which got going yesterday (Saturday) at the Gen. Santos City Tennis Courts.
The 14-year-old Bentillo hopes to live up to her top billing in all three categories, including her age bracket and make up for her setbacks in the 16- and 18-and-under finals in last week’s Sultan Kudarat stop of the circuit sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala headed by president/CEO Bobby Castro.
But a slew of players will be out to foil her bid, including Jillian Manangking and Angela Ripdos in 14-U, and Ma. Angelica Novis, Kyle Rivera and local bet Febe Lagarde in both the 16- and 18-U titles of the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop.
Bruce Hurtado and Alfred Directo, meanwhile, are tipped to slug it out in the boys’ premier 18-U category with Karl Palo, Jay Balaoing, Jude Padao and Directo headlining the 16-U cast in the four-day event backed by Asiatraders Corp. and sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines, made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg.
Padao, Balaoing and Palo also banner the huge 14-U cast that includes Reyman Saldivar Jr., Jason Flores Jr., Charles Jumawan, Rey Napala and Armando Saldivar, who gains the top seeding in the 32-player 12-U draw with Flores as No. 2 and Jumawan and Shaun Globasa seeded third and fourth, respectively.
Palo and Alex Uy, meanwhile, loom as the players to beat in the 10-unisex category that also drew the likes of Cian Ramirez, Globasa, Pete Mateo, Herarych Labandero and Yusuf Maldo.
Manangking, on the other hand, seeks the crown in the girls’ 12-U play against Angela Ripdos and a slew of others with the former also bracing for a tough outing against Bentillo in the 14-U division.
Meanwhile, action in the Mindanao swing of the country’s biggest and longest-running age-grouper shifts to Digos City on June 28-July 1. Listup is ongoing For details, call PPS-PEPP Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.