Johnny Arcilla bolstered his status as a shell-clay court master, outlasting Fil-Am and Davis Cup teammate Ruben Gonzales, 7-5, 7-6 (7-1), 0-6, 7-6 (7-5), Sunday night to capture an unprecedented seventh men’s singles title in a marathon four-hour finale of the Philippine Columbian Association Open tennis championships presented by Cebuana Lhuillier.
The 32-year-old Arcilla threw his racket and lay sprawled on the court after firing a winner down the line at the end of the match which saw him asking for medical attention due to cramps.
It was a long hard climb for Arcilla, who won last year and also prevailed in 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 mostly against local competitors.
This time around, he showed an all-around game, beating the likes of PJ Tierro and Fil-German top seed Marc Sieber on his way to the finals.
Marian Jade Capadocia stunned Fil-German top seed Katharina Lehnert, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, to clinch a second straight women’s singles title.
Lehnert exacted revenge as she teamed up with Fil-Am Toby Miclat to beat Capadocia and sister Jella Jade, 6-3, 6-1, in the women’s doubles final. (See full story on A31.)