Salazar stuns Bayking, cops Palawan net crown

MANILA, Philippines – Shyrin Salazar took the cudgels for the local bets as she copped the girls’ 14-and-under crown even as unranked Giulian Bandoquillo snared the boys’ title in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age-group tennis tournament at the La Carlota Tennis Court in Negros Occidental last Monday.

The sixth-ranked Salazar subdued fellow-giant killer and fellow La Carlota bet Kim Galanza, 6-3, 2-6, 10-7, in the semis then trounced second seed Bliss Bayking, 6-2, 6-4, to bag the crown while Bandoquillo upset top seed Rewel Justiniani, 6-2, 6-2, in the semis then shocked No. 2 Ceasar Po, 5-7, 6-3, 10-8, to snatch the 14-U plum in the in the Group 2 event sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.

“While the La Carlota bets dominated the girls’ play, the rash of upsets further underscored the level playing field with a couple of unranked players going all the way to bag the championship. This is what this circuit is all about, discovering talents and producing future tennis stars,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Galanza, meanwhile, atoned for her setback as she stunned top seed Tracy Llamas, 6-3, 6-1, in the semis then foiled Salazar’s two-title bid with a 6-2, 6-3 victory in the 18-U finals of the event sanctioned by Philta and backed by Asiatraders Corp., exclusive distributor of Slazenger, the official ball.

Valerie Desoyo, also from La Carlota, outlasted Averille Sacapano, 6-3, 2-6, 10-8, while top seed Alexa Milliam beat Wendy Galanza, 6-3, 6-3, to pocket the 12-U title. Iloilo’s Jeff Kimenea took the 10-unisex diadem with a 4-1, 4-2 romp over Willyn Segura.
Reyniel Marcellana, another unseeded bet from Dumaguete ruled the boys’ 18-U division, beating No. 6 RJ Singsong, 7-6(3), 6-2.