Balce, Mosqueda biggest winners in Andrada Cup

MANILA, Philippines — Maia Balce and Dave Mosqueda topped the premier 18-under division while spoiling the double title bids of their respective rivals  Friday in  the 25th Andrada Cup age group tennis championships at Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

The 15-year-old Balce outlasted top pick Khim Iglupas, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2,  in a two-hour encounter for the girls’ crown while Mosqueda, 16,  downed top seed Eric Jed Olivarez, 7-5, 6-4, for the boys’ title.

Iglupas had earlier downed Chloe Saraza, 6-3, 6-1, to nail the girls’ 16-under title while Olivarez prevailed in the boys’ under-16 at the expense of Emmanuel Vacalares, 6-2, 6-2.

Saraza didn’t go home empty handed as she ruled the girls’ 14-under category, beating Zethley Mae Alferez, 6-0, 6-1.

Cebu pride and Philippine Tennis Academy stalwart Arthur Craig Pantino turned back Jacob Martin, 7-5, 6-3, in the boys’ side of the event put up by former Philippine Tennis Association president Salvador “Buddy” Andrada, now a commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission.

Aljohn Talatayod and Denise Bernardo picked up the boys’ and girls’ 12-under titles of the tournament supported by Tru-Flex Sports Surfacing, Dunlop Balls, Olivarez Sports Center, Cebuana Lhuillier, Altamar Shipping, Phinma Group of Companies,  M.C. Balce Surveying, Secure Storage Services and PSC.

Talatayod ripped Jose Angelo Aparte, 6-3, 6-2, while Bernardo crushed Bettina Catoto, 6-0, 6-0.

In doubles, Jerome Romualdez and Mosqueda slipped past Olivarez and Jose Nicolas Cano, 8-6, for the boys’ 18-under title while Rafael Liangco and Jose Thomas Bernardo downed Jude Hidalgo and Angelo James Rosales, 8-6, for the 10-under unisex plum.