Martin, Cuizon share PPS-PEPP Iloilo honors

MANILA, Philippines – Jacob Martin and Chad Connor Cuizon both survived second set scares and pulled off a pair of tough victories over Alfrancis Andrade and Jeff Jimenea, respectively, to lead the winners in the upset-marred Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional tennis circuit at the Iloilo City Tennis Center last Monday.

The top-seeded Martin, playing out of Xavier School, played true to form and romped off with four straight-set victories but needed to toughen up against the unranked Andrade in the boys’ 16-and-under finals to hack out a 6-1, 7-6(2) victory.

The second-ranked Cuizon also got past three rivals via straight-set victories but had to withstand Jeff Jimenea’s fightback to carve out a 4-2, 5-3 decision over the No. 1 bet in the 10-unisex finals of the five-day Group 2 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.

Bliss Bayking, on the other hand, finally snapped a run of setbacks in the country’s premier age-group circuit as the San Carlos City, Negros ace nailed not just one but two crowns over top seeded rivals in the tournament sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association headed by president and Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, and backed by Asiatraders Corp., exclusive distributor of Slazenger, the official ball.

The third-ranked Bayking stunned No. 2 Averille Sacapano, 6-4, 6-2, in the semis then blasted No. 1 Keana de Asis, 6-2, 6-1, to snare the girls’ 14-U crown. Sustaining her form, she repeated over De Asis, 6-3, 6-2, in the 16-U semis then battled back from a set down to foil top seed Tracy Llamas, 6-7(1), 6-1, 6-1, to pocket the 16-U plum.