SYDNEY EZRA ENRIQUEZ upset top seed Carlyn Guarde twice in the higher age group to complete a rare three-title feat in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala (PPS-PEPP) Koronadal leg regional age-group tennis tournament at the Koronadal Sports Complex in South Cotabato on Friday.
Janus Ringia, meanwhile, sustained his win run, sweeping the boys’ 16- and 18-under crowns to share the Most Valuable Player honors with Enriquez in the Group 2 tournament, held as part of the Mindanao summer tour sponsored Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.
The 14-year-old Enriquez stamped her class over Chloveay Pulido, scoring a shutout 6-0, 6-0 title romp in her age group then stunned Guarde, 6-1, 6-2, in the 16-under finals before out-steadying the fancied Sultan Kudarat bet in a thrilling duel, 7-5, 7-6(4), to clinch the 18-under diadem.
“Winning two titles in the higher division speaks well of Enriquez’s caliber. Her rare feat should also inspire the other young players to work and strive harder in pursuit of their lofty goals,” Palawan Pawnshop President and CEO Bobby Castro said.
Ringia, meanwhile, posted a pair of abbreviated victories to make it back-to-back, scoring a 4-0 (ret.) win over Nicole Gorospe in the 16-under finals then the Sultan Kudarat ace stopped Steve Sonsona, 6-0, 4-1 (ret.) for the 18-under crown, matching his two-title feat in last week’s General Santos City leg of the circuit backed by Asiatraders Corp. and the new Unified tennis group, led by PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s and B-Meg.
Top seed Brent Cortez from Tubod, Lanao lived up to his billing to thumped Michael Padao, 6-0, 6-2, to pocket the boys’ 14-under plum; Digos City’s Andrei Padao repulsed No. 1 Al Rasheed Lucman, 6-0, 6-0, in the semifinals then turned back second seed Rey Napala, 6-4, 6-4, to snare the 12-under crown; while top-ranked Shieloh Ripdos crushed Mae Melendres, 6-0,6-0, to bag the girls’ 12-under diadem.
Lucman, from Malaybalay, Bukidnon, earlier bested Anthony Galvez, 4-2, 4-0, to annex the 10-unisex title.