MANILA, Philippines – Kurt Molina and Jan Harold Trillanes set out as the top favorites while a wide-open battle for top honors looms in the girls’ side as the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala age-group regional tennis circuit resumes today at the University of Saint Anthony in Iriga City.
Molina, from Daet, Camarines Norte, guns for a two-title romp in the 16- and 18-and-under sections where he is the top seed while Trillanes, one of the top junior players of the host city, headlines the 14-U field in the Group 5 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.
Top seed Nica Alanis, No. 2 Patricia Corporal, third-ranked Jasmin Prima and No. 4 Katrina Salvadora, meanwhile, are expected to slug it out for the girls’ premier 18-U crown with Corporal and Salvadora also vying in the 16-U side, which also features Angelica Alanis and Ianne Contreras.
Keen competition is also seen in the rest of the categories with Glydel Guevara, Rafa Mae Taller, Carla Andrada and Andrika Idioma leading the chase in the girls’ 14-U play of the five-day 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.
“It is our commitment to hold tournaments nationwide as part of our grassroots program and we thank Iriga for hosting one of our events that has become the spawning ground of tennis talents in the country,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Meanwhile, registration for the next leg in Lucena City on March 17-21 is ongoing. For details, call tournament organizer and supervisor Bobby Mangunay, also the PPS-PEPP sports program development director, at 0915-4046464 or log on to www.palawanpawnshoptennis.com.
JC Gonzales, Marlon Korea, Harry Bonavente and Mark Ejipto head the cast in the boys’ 12-U side while Guevara, JB Aguilar, Ryan Taller and Joshua Pante are tipped to dispute the 10-unisex crown in the circuit which is coming off successful staging in Iloilo for the age-group dominated by Jacob Martin and Char Cuizon and the Open competition topped by perennial champion Johnny Arcilla.