Joshua Kinaadman enhanced a promising career by ruling the Gov. Edwin Jubahib Cup National Tennis Championships, capping his title romp with an imposing 6-1, 6-2 victory over Eric Jed Olivarez at the DavNor Tourism and Sports Complex in Davao del Norte last Monday.
Bracing for a fierce, protracted duel with the Olivarez, the fourth-ranked Lapu-Lapu City ace, who stunned top seed Johnny Arcilla, 6-4, 6-4, in the semis, found the going a lot smoother instead behind a brilliant all-around game that his third-seeded rival practically had no answer for.
After trading serves in the first three games, Kinaadman, 24, broke Olivarez in the fourth and used that momentum to sweep the next three, including a shut-out win in the seventh.
It was more of the same in the next frame as the Cebuano took control with a break in the fifth game then yielded just four points in winning the last three games for the straight-set romp worth P40,000.
Olivarez, who also stunned No. 2 Vicente Anasta in the Final Four, 6-2, 1-6, 10-3, pocketed P20,000.
Anasta, meanwhile, teamed up with John Mari Altiche as they held off Arcilla and Olivarez in a grueling duel, 7-5, 7-6 (3), to snare the crown and the top P30,000 purse in the men’s doubles of the Open championship put up by Gov. Jubahib.
Anasta and Altiche earlier thwarted Kinaadman and Jelic Amazona, 7-6(5), 6-3, while Arcilla and Olivarez routed John Alejandre and NJ Enriquez, 6-2, 6-2, in the semis of the week-long tournament backed by Darbmuco, Dacup Surveying Office, WEARBEMPCO, Velocity One Realty Ventures, Inc., Haven United Dev’t Corp., Panabo Mayor Jose Relampagos, CFARBEMCO, Marsman Drysdale Agri Business Corp., PBA Party List and Joan Este.
Sharing the podium were Arniel Bendulo-Armando Palac; Butch dela Cruz-Buboy Paradero; and Robert Oliveros-Joey Villanueva, who topped the Gov. Jubahib Legends men’s doubles category.
Bendulo and Palac foiled Marvin Sing and Randy Pracullos, 8-4, to clinch the 40-and-above honors; dela Cruz and Paradero dominated Maui Manulat and Luciano Caiman Jr., 8-2, for the 50-and-above crown; while Oliveros and Villanueva took the 60-and-above diadem with a similar 8-2 romp over Bob Sabandon and Melchor Sabandon.