Torrecampo leads winners in Valle Verde

MANILA, Philippines — What she lacked in height, Maristella Torrecampo made up with her skills and talent as she upended top seed Ave Maria Policarpio, 6-0, 6-2, to secure the girls’ 14-and-under crown in the Valle Verde National Juniors Tennis Championships in Pasig City last Monday.

The straight-sets romp came after Torrecampo dispatched No. 2 Ayl Gonzaga, 6-2, 6-0, in the semis with the third-ranked rising star from Naga City, Bicol sustaining her form to topple Policarpio, who reached the finals with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Lilith Rufino.

Earlier, Torrecampo dominated the 12-and-U play, dropping only five games in four matches, capped by a 6-0, 6-2 win over Ella Paglalunan in the finals, making her the sole two-category winner of the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop at the Valle Verde Country Club courts.

No. 5 Al Tristan Licayan, on the other hand, crushed Samuel Davila, 6-1, 6-1, to claim the boys’ 16-and-U title as the Gen. Trias, Cavite bet shared MVP honors with Torrecampo in the event held under the Palawan Pawnshop junior program, led by president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Other winners in the week-long tournament, sanctioned by Philta (Philippine Tennis Association) and the Universal Tennis Rating online platform, were Ariel Cabaral and Mica Emana (18-and-U), Sandra Bautista, Alexander Coyiuto, Marcus Go and Raven Licayan.

The third-seeded Cabaral, also from Gen. Trias, repulsed No. 2 Ivan Manila, 0-6, 7-6(1), 10-7, in the semis then routed Davila, 6-2, 6-1, while the unranked Emana from Quezon City stunned top seed Chloe Mercado, 6-4, 6-3, to underscore the level playing field in the event which drew close to 300 entries in nine age-group categories.

No. 1 Bautista, from Bacoor, Cavite, turned back second seed Joy Ansay, 6-3, 6-3, in the girls’ 16-and-U final, while the seventh-ranked Coyiuto from Makati City wore down No. 6 Mikael Honrado in a thriller to clinch a 4-6, 6-1, 10-7 decision in the boys’ 14-and-U championship.

The top-ranked Go, also from QC, escaped with a 3-6, 6-2, 10-6 win over Claudwin Toñacao in the semis then blasted Pete Niere, 6-0, 6-2, to pocket the boys’ 12-and-U diadem, while Raven Licayan, also from Gen. Trias, took the 10-unisex trophy with a 4-2, 4-1 victory over Juliana Coyiuto.