De Asis scores ‘double’ at PPS Iloilo

MANILA, Philippines — Kiana de Asis hacked out two victories in contrasting fashions while Fernando Po pulled off a win and a runner-up finish as they shared MVP honors in the PPS-PEPP Iloilo regional age-group tennis tournament at the Ultra Tennis Courts recently.

The 16-year-old De Asis bounced back a second set defeat and wore down Althea Martirez in the tiebreak, 6-3, 2-6, 12-10, to rule her age bracket. Then the La Carlota star dominated Avril Suace, 6-3, 6-1, to claim the girls’ 18-and-under crown in the Group 2 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala headed by president/CEO Bobby Castro and presented by Dunlop.

The fifth-ranked Po shocked top seed Drixcyn Guillano, 6-4, 6-1, to snare the boys’ 16-U diadem but failed to match De Asis’ feat with a 6-3, 1-0 (ret.) loss to No. 1 and fellow Bacolodnon Reynan Mahusay in the premier division of the week-long event backed by Asiatraders Corp. and sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines.

Unseeded Jan Roger Lamparero from Cabatuan also upended  the top seeded Guillano, 7-5, 6-1, in the 14-U semis then trounced Alekzander Po, 6-1, 6-1, for the crown. Martirez, from LaPaz, Iloilo, atoned for her loss to De Asis by taking the girls’ 14-U title via a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Faith Banico.

Kalibo, Aklan’s Ronald Rey and Banico from Siquijor shared the 12-U honors with the former blasting Jeff Jimenea, 6-2, 6-3, and the latter rebounding from an earlier loss with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over young Therese Gauran from Tayasan, Negros Oriental.