Capadocia dethrones Patrimonio; Arcilla, Anasta in finals

MARIAN Jade Capadocia needed time to get into her rhythm before turning back Clarice Patrimonio, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), yesterday to  capture the women’s singles title in the third Olivarez Cup Open tennis championships at  Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque.

The petite 17-year-old Capadocia wisely avoided a head-on battle with the power-hitting defending champion Patrimonio and concentrated on consistent returns to win the match in three and a half hours.

“I was still trying to size her up in the first set,” Capadocia said in Filipino, admitting she didn’t train going into the tournament because she was resting her back which she hurt during her victorious stint in last year’s PCA Open.

“I was just trying to hold serve and return her shots and slow down the tempo of play,” added Capadocia who is expected to take up a scholarship grant from a school in the United States later this year.

Top seed Johnny Arcilla and second-ranked and defending champion Vicente Anasta booted out their respective semifinal rivals to set up a showdown for the men’s title in the event sponsored by Dunlop Sports, Stronghold Insurance and FedEx Air21.

Arcilla brushed aside Rolando Ruel Jr., 6-2, 6-4, while Anasta came back from a set down to oust No. 3 Patrick Tierro, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Arcilla and Anasta earlier teamed up to beat Marc Reyes and Tierro, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), to capture the men’s doubles title while Clarice and sister Christine Patrimonio won a rivalry with the Capadocia sisters, downing Marian and Jella, 6-4, 6-2, to rule the women’s doubles.

Capadocia used the lone break in the second set to  level the match with Patrimonio at 1-all, then pulled away for good after taking a 3-0 advantage in the third-set tiebreak.

The third-seeded Capadocia, who went home with the P15,000 top prize, said she would try her luck in the Mitsubishi Lancer International junior tennis championships this week.