ERIC Jed Olivarez battled back from a set down then pulled through in a grueling third set duel, hacking out a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over Argil Lance Canizares on Wednesday to capture the boys’ 18-and-under crown in the Palawan Pawnshop Regional age-group tennis tournament in Cainta, Rizal.
The top-seeded Olivarez, who never dropped a set until he reached the finals, recovered in time and broke Canizares once in the second set to force the decider against his third-ranked rival at Brookside Hills Tennis Club.
No. 1 Katrina Orteza, meanwhile, scored a walkover win over Maia Balce to bag the girls’ 18-and-under title in the event sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and backed by Babolat.
Second seed Andrea Amistad foiled Chloe Saraza, 6-3, 6-4, to annex the girls’ 16-and-under diadem, while Marcen Gonzales copped the boys’ plum with a 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-3 victory over Julian Dayrit.
No. 2 Emmanuel Fuellas defeated Gabriel Tiamson, 6-4, 6-3, to clinch the boys’ 14-and-under title while Saraza pocketed the girls’ crown with a 6-3, 6-3 romp over Frances Santiago.
Top seed Mikaela Vicencio took the girls’ 12-and-under diadem with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Miles Vitalliano, while Marcus del Rosario pocketed the boys’ plum with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Alexander Bulilan and second seed Jan Harold Trillanes upended top seed Diego Dayrit, 6-4, 6-4, to capture the 10-under unisex title.
The next leg of the nationwide, year-long circuit is set April 5 to 9 at Ouans Worth Resort in Lucena City with registration free to the public as part of Palawan Pawnshop’s community service through the effort of COO Bobby Castro.
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