JOHN Bryan Otico and Jazelle Madis stole the limelight by nailing two titles each in the North Cotabato leg of the Philta-Palawan Pawnshop regional age-group championships presented by Babolat at Kabacan Tennis Federation courts.
Otico, 14, seized the premier boys’ 18-under title with a 4-0, 4-2 win over top-ranked Carlo Nono after earlier clinching the 14-under crown at the expense of another No. 1 seed, Abson Alejandre, 4-0, 4-2, in the fifth and last leg of the circuit’s Mindanao phase.
Madis shared the spotlight by winning the girls’ 14-under title over Mae Nadua, 4-2, 4-2, and taking the 12-under plum from Shane Barrios, 5-3, 4-0, in the event sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and Technosports.
Nono got back at Otico in the 16-under finals with a 4-1, 4-1 romp even as Lara Nadela turned back Pearl Luis, 3-5, 5-4 (9-7), 10-4, to capture the girls’ 18-under championship. Therese Quiros ruled the girls’ 16-under class with a 4-1, 4-1 win over Vianney Reyes.
The other winners were second seed John Merwin Estrellado, who outlasted No. 1 Nicole Gorospe, 4-2, 2-4, 10-6, to cop the boys’ 12-under title, and No. 1 Eric Comendador, who downed Brent Magno for the 10-under crown.
Dr. Dionisio Nadela, president of Kabacan Tennis Federation of Cotabato thanked Palawan Pawnshop, Babolat and Philta “for bringing the circuit here and providing a top-level tournament for our young players.”
Meanwhile, Bobby Castro, COO of Palawan Pawnshop, and Guillermo Nocom, president of Technosports, in cooperation with Philta, announced that they will stage a 40-leg nationwide circuit starting January next year. It will kick off in Dumalag, Capiz with Iloilo and Kalibo, Aklan hosting the next two legs. Marc Anthony Reyes