Flores, Raymundo snare tennis titles

Iloilo Luke Flores and local ace Toni Rose Raymundo hacked out a pair of straight-set victories to dominate the start of the 2014 Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age group tennis circuit presented by Tecnifibre in Bacolod City last Monday.

Flores, playing out of Central Philippine University, tripped Fernando Arguelles, 6-3, 7-5, to capture the boys’ 18-and-under crown and pulled off a 7-5, 6-4 win over Arguelles for the 16-and-U title in the four-day event sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association.

Not to be outdone, Raymundo, from PTA-La Carlota, also subdued Angela Cabaral twice—6-2, 6-2 in the girls’ 16-and-U finals and 7-5, 6-2 in the premier class of the tournament that kicked off the 29-stage circuit.

“We regularly sponsor sports activities in the areas where we operate. It is our way of giving back to the community part of our blessings and encouraging people to engage in sports for healthier lives,” said Palawan Pawnshop COO Bobby Castro.

“The program is part of our long-term commitment to promote sports as one of the primary focus of our corporate social responsibility.”

Young siblings Fernando Ceazar Po and Alekzander Fern Po of PTA-Bacolod also hogged the spotlight with the former nipping unranked RJ Dejilla, 4-6, 7-5, (10-7), to cop the boys’ 12-and-U plum and the latter taking the 10-unisex diadem with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Pete Andre Rodriguez.

Third seed Karl Christian Baran upended top ranked James Contratista, 6-3, 6-0, to nail the boys’ 14-and-U crown.