Local aces lead PPS La Carlota title chase

MANILA, Philippines – Local bets Tracy Llamas and Kiana de Asis gear up for a fierce battle with the rest of the 300-player cast as the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age-group tennis tournament unwraps today at the La Carlota Tennis Court in Negros Occidental.

Llamas and De Asis gain the top two seeding in the girls’ premier 18-and-under section and 16-U class, which also features recent two-title winner Averille Sacapano, Bliss Bayking, Valerie Desoyo and Louise Clavaton.

“We’re inviting all tennis aficionados and fans to watch the event and support their respective players, who form part of the huge 300-player cast from Panay Island and the whole of Negros,” said host Mayor Juliet Ferrer.

Karl Baran and Eldyzar Alvarico banner the boys’ 18-U cast that includes Matthew Flores, Rewel Justianiani, Troy Llamas, RJ Singson, Reynan Mahusay and Prince Dimate. Baran and Alvarico are also the top two players in the full-packed 64-player 16-U field in the Group 2 event sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.

“The huge turnout this week only inspires to put up more and more tournaments across the country to discover more and more future stars,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

The 14-year-old De Asis, meanwhile, takes the top seeding in the 14-U division with Bayking as No. 2 followed by Sacapano, Alexa Milliam Avrille Suace, Shryin Salazar, Kim Galanza and Hilary Wayco while Justiniani and Ceasar Po headline another 64-player cast in the boys’ 14-U section of the five-day event sanctioned by Philta and backed by Asiatraders Corp., exclusive distributor of Slazenger, the official ball.

Milliam, on the other hand, and Abigail Sacapano along with Chloe Tortusa, Wendy Galanza and Arian Picaoco are tipped to contend for the girls’ 12-U plum while Khenz Justiniani, Pete Andre Rodriguez, Alekzander Po and Kerwin de Asis are expected to dispute the title in the boys’ 14-U category.