La Union’s Alexi Jarata pulled off a rare three-title feat while brother Marc and local bet Kriz Lim scored two victories each as they shared top honors in the PPS-PEPP Pangasinan national age group tennis tournament at the Urdaneta Tennis Club last Wednesday.
Alexi, 12, dropped just three games in three matches to dominate her age bracket, whipping Jamille Castillo, 6-0, 6-1, in the finals then crushing Anna Bajet via the same scoreline for the 14-U crown in the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop.
The rising star from Agoo also overpowered top seed Franchezca Malaki, 4-1, 4-0, in the semis then thwarted Adriana Cabahug, 6-4, 7-5, to snare the 16-U diadem and run away with the MVP plum.
Marc also lived up to his top billing in the 14- and 16-U divisions, coming away with a pair of 6-0, 6-1 romps over Prince Lim and Ivan Manila, while Kriz Lim scored a shutout win over Lexious Cruz in the 10-unisex finals then survived brother Prince, 6-3, 0-6, 13-11, for the 12-U diadem.
“While the Jaratas and Lims keep shining in this side of the circuit, new faces continue to emerge in the PPS-PEPP’s countrywide talent search that has been going on for years,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Charles Torres, meanwhile, foiled Marc Jarata’s bid for a third title in the 18-U category, posting a 4-2, 4-0 victory in the semis before the local bet stunned top seed Joshua Molina, 6-4, 6-4, to snatch the crown.
San Fabian’s Anna De Myer, on the other hand, produced a heart-stopping 7-5, 7-6(5) escape over surprise finalist Achaia Cabahug to bag the girls’ 18-U plum in the event sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines made up of Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg.
Meanwhile, Achaia and Adriana Cabahug took the 18-U doubles crown, beating Renee Esteban and Malaki, 8-5, while Joshua Molina and Charles Torres bagged the boys’ title with an 8-4 romp over Kirk Agustin and Joewyn Pascua.
Other doubles winners were Adriana Cabahug and Tristen Kitong, and Justine Erpelo and Marc Jarata (14-U) and Angelo Asuncion and Kriz Lim (10-unisex) while Bernie Macaraeg and Bitoy Ordon wore down Sonny Mejia and Julius Soriano, 8-6, to clinch the 40s crown in the Legends division.
