Velez, Carlos open year with wins

John Velez and Macie Carlos fashioned out two victories each to become the first winners on the new season of the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala age-group tennis tournament at Colegio San Agustin in Bulacan recently.

Velez trounced Kenny Sing, 6-3, 6-1, to capture the boys’ 14-and-under crown before whipping Joshua Molina, 6-1, 6-2, in the 16-U finals.

Carlos went two divisions up to stun Rafaella Villanueva, 6-0, 6-2, and snare the girls’ 18-U diadem in the first PPS-PEPP Fr. Fernando Suarez Cup.

The 13-year-old Carlos also took the 16-U plum with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Gab Zoleta to share MVP honors with Velez in the Group 1 tournament presented by Asiatraders Corp. with Slazenger and Dunlop as official balls.