DAVAO CITY's John David Velez and Danna Abad along with Tenielle Madis of M'lang stamped their class and came away with a pair of victories each in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age group tennis tournament Pikit leg at the Pikit Tennis Club in North Cotabato Sunday, September 25.
Velez, No. 8 in the boys’ 16 and under (16-U) class, upended No. 6 Ronnel Aboy, 4-0, 5-4(3), in the semis then foiled non-ranked Ali Basser, 6-3, 6-2, to add the crown to his 6-4, 6-3 romp over Eric Comendador in the 14-U finals of the Group 4 tournament sponsored by the country’s leading pawnshop, remittance and claim center Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.
Abad mastered Jazzele Madis, scoring a 6-3, 4-6, 10-1 triumph in the girls’ 16-U finals and fashioning out a 6-3, 6-2 victory for the 18-U plum in the four-day tournament sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association and hosted by the local government unit of Pikit headed by Vice Mayor Muhyryn Sultan-Casi.
“We thanked Pikit for its junior and grassroots tennis program which is a big boost to the sport and the province as well. Rest assured of our continued support as we continue our search for future talents,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Tenielle Madis shared the spotlight as the 10-year-old prodigy kept her win run going, taking the 10-unisex crown with a 4-1, 4-0 cruise over Reyman Saldivar Jr. and edging Jilian Manangking, 7-6(4), 6-3, for the 12-U title in the event backed by Asiatraders Corp., exclusively distributor of Slazenger, the official ball, and held in line with Pikit’s 67th founding anniversary.
Jonn Nadela from Kabacan copped the girls’ 14-U plum with a 6-4, 6-4 upset of top seed Manangking while JV Comendador from Kidapawan trounced Cedric Pamplona, 6-1, 6-1, for the boys’ 12-U title and second seed Lordrens Pacheco, also from Davao, trampled No. 1 Jefferson Alqueza, 6-1, 6-4, in the boys’ 18-U finals.
Registration for the next leg in Digos City, a Group 2 tournament, is ongoing with the event set September 29 to October 3.
For details, contact Bobby Mangunay, PPS-PEPP Regional Age Group Tennis Event organizer and Sports Program Development director at 0915-4046464.