LOCAL girls Ellaine Rose Bahonsua and Faith Kiarrah Banico saved the day for host province Siquijor at the recent Cebuana Lhuillier Age Group Tennis Championship Series leg by taking three titles, two by Banico and the other by Bahonsua, a perennial winner in the regional circuit.
Bahonsua, who hails from San Juan, Siquijor, posted an easy 6-1, 6-2 straight-set victory over Bohol’s Rica Trexie Gudelusao for the girls’ 16-under crown, though she was thwarted by Angela Cabaral from Bais City when they clashed for the 18-under title, with Cabaral winning 6-1, 6-1. Banico defeated Cebuana Tiffany Claire Nocos by retirement to claim the girls’ 12-under crown and added a share of the 10-under unisex title, where she teamed up with Shara Louise Paliwag and defeated individual unisex titlist Abdel Qadri Matarul from Zamboanga del Norte and partner Nicholas Andrei Tan, 4-2, 4-1.
Other winners in the tournament that saw the entire tennis community providing all-out support to the visiting players, including a fellowship dinner and billeting, were veteran Stephen Zion Guia from Dipolog following a 6-1,6-0 win over Jessy Ysyldjre in the 16-under boys’ championship match; Dapitan City’s Jason Saavedra, who posted a 4-6, 6-4, 10-4 win over Guia in the boys’ 18-under; and Southern Leyte bet Sal Andrei Eugenio Lago, who ruled the boys’ 14-under after a 6-4, 6-1 win over Makati City’s Alejandro Barrientos.
Lago was a double winner as he won earlier the boys’ 12-under at the expense of Matarul 6-2, 6-1.
“We are happy with the big turnout of entries, 180, in Siquijor, and happier too that the entire community there went all out in welcoming the visiting players. This is how a sports grassroots program should be, a collaboration of different stakeholders,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President/CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier, who initiated this tennis program 11 years ago, with the cooperation of Dunlop Sports in recent years as official ball.
In the distaff side, Nocos made up for her loss in the 12-under by taking the 14-under title as she beat Negros Oriental’s Shai Kristel Marie Masicampo, 6-1, 6-0, in the finals.
Masicampo, in turn, teamed up with Jalia Sjaen Elumba and dominated the 14-under girls’ doubles’ event, defeating Cristel Mae Paculanang and Ylizah Woo, 8-0.
Mariepol Lacpao and Cabaral, meanwhile, emerged champion in the girls’ 18-under doubles’ event, beating Mariel Villa and Karlyn Faye Calimpon 8-3.
Saavedra was another double winner as he and Jhon Brian Antonio edged out Guia and Nik Alessandro Isagan, 8-5, for the boys’ 18-under doubles’ crown, while Barrientos and Lago took the measure of Erin Jacob Diago and Nikel Nowlakha, 8-4, in the finals of the boys’ 14-under doubles’ contest.