VISITING players from adjoining provinces and cities dominated the recent Cebuana Lhuillier Age-Group Championship Series leg held at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club in Carmona, Cavite, led by Anna Laura de Myer, who came all the way from Dagupan, Pangasinan and ruled both the girls’ 16-under and 18-under age categories.
De Myer squeezed past Denise Bernardo from Calamba, Laguna, 5-7, 6-4, 10-6, in the finals of the girls’ 16-under, but had an easier time against the same opponent in the 18-under championship match, where she swept Bernardo in straight sets, 7-6, 7-5, for the crown in the tournament backed by Dunlop as the official ball.
The other back-to-back winners in the Group 2 level tournament were girls’ 12- under champion Beatrice Veloso from Muntinlupa, Rizal and Frank Nhiel Dilao from Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Veloso beat Rocel Anne Ravino from Binan, Laguna, 6-2, 7-5, in the finals, then partnered with Muntinlupa’s Sandra Apostol to share the girls’ 14-under doubles crown, downing the Favis siblings Maxine and Sabina, 8-4, in the championship match, while Dilao edged out sister France, 4-2, 3-4, 7-5, for the singles title and teamed up with his sibling and blanked Karl Ujauco and Jason Caminting, 8-0, in the 10-under unisex doubles championship match.
“This means there are new tennis talents emerging from the provinces as they get the opportunity to show their potential in our Cebuana Lhuillier Age Group Tennis Championship Series, which is the country’s longest-running grassroots tennis program that I initiated 12 years ago,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President/CEO of the sponsoring Cebuana Lhuillier Group.
Other winners in the tournament were Muntinlupa bet Marcus del Rosario, who ruled the boys’ 18-under with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Klyde Lagarde from GenSan; Elvin Joseph Geluz from Dasmarinas, Cavite, who emerged champion in the boys’ 16-under after the withdrawal of opponent Rainier Angelo Selmar in the finals; Exequiel Jukutan from Manaoag, Pangasinan, who went home with the boys’ 14- under crown after defeating Selmar, who retired after the first set, which he lost 2-6; Kean Sebastian Enriquez, who topped the boys’ 12-under group with an easy 6-1, 6-1 win over John Benedict Aquino from San Pablo, Laguna; and Aljhon Rombawa from San Pablo, Laguna, who took the 8-under title with a quick 4-0, 4-0 win over Dean jaekob Palaroan from Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Sta. Rosa, Laguna bet Shaira Silva copped the girls’ 14-under age group after taking the measure of Sandra Isabel Apostol from Muntinlupa, 6-1, 6-2, in the finals.