Manila, Philippines - Clarice Patrimonio endured a grueling battle of power and wits as she fought back from an opening set setback to repulse Marinel Rudas, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, and claim the ladies Open singles crown in the second Olivarez-Philta Open Tennis Championships presented by Palawan Pawnshop Express Pera Padala at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat yesterday.
The top seeded Patrimonio, who dropped just five games in four matches to reach the finals, found herself trailing after blowing an early 2-0 lead as the No. 2 ranked Rudas, a member of the Tennis Academy of the Phils. under coach Manny Tecson, racked up five straight games before the duo split the next two games.
The 18-year-old Patrimonio again squandered a 2-1 lead in the second as Rudas, 17, strung up three straight games to move up, 4-2. But Patrimonio put her act together and swept the next four games to force the decider where she broke Rudas in the ninth game en route to victory that took three hours and 55 minutes to finish.
The win capped Patrimonio’s successful campaign in the two-week long ranking tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop Express Pera Padala and Stronghold Insurance with Dunlop as official ball and sanctioned by Philta as she also took the ladies doubles crown in last Saturday’s finals.
She teamed up with Aileen Rogan to beat Rudas and Maika Tanpoco, 6-1, 6-4.
Patrick John Tierro and Vicente Elbert Anasta were still disputing the men’s singles Open title at presstime.
Tierro and Johnny Arcilla, meanwhile, bagged the men’s doubles plum with a 6-3, 6-2 romp over Francis Casey Alcantara and Pablo Olivarez while National U-A defeated Perpetual Help to capture the men’s intercollegiate crown.