Ballado, Castigador cop titles in Puerto Princesa juniors tennis tourney

MANILA, Philippines — Jayden Reece Ballado and Anthony Bjorn Castigador delivered impressive performances, each capturing two titles in the Puerto Princesa Palawan Pawnshop National Juniors Tennis Championships held in Palawan over the weekend.

Their victories, including thrilling three-set matches, highlighted the tournament where they shared the Most Valuable Player honors.

In the girls' division, the No. 2 Ballado displayed her resilience in a three-set win over No. 4 Zita Clarke, clinching the 16-and-under title via a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 decision. She then dominated Micaella Encarnacion, 6-1, 6-1, to secure the premier 18-and-under title, underscoring her status as the top-ranked player in this category.

Meanwhile, the top-seeded Castigador proved his mettle in the boys’ 14-and-U division, easing past his early opponents in straight sets and defeating Armik Serillo 6-4, 6-2 in the finals. He capped off his campaign by overcoming top seed Gavin Kraut in a nail-biting final, 1-6, 7-6(9), 6-4, in the 16-and-U finals, matching Ballado's two-title achievement in the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) Group I event.

The week-long tournament, presented by Dunlop and supported by Palawan Pawnshop’s nationwide talent search program initiated by president/CEO Bobby Castro, brought together young tennis talents from across the Philippines.

Notable winners included local favorite Evan Bacalso, Francisco De Juan III from Iloilo, Maximus Calingasan from Balanga, Bataan, Maristella Torrecampo from Naga City, Bicol and Ma. Caroliean Fiel from Ormoc City.

Bacalso triumphed over Rizzjun Labindao, 6-1, 6-1, to win the boys’ 18-and-U title, while No. 2 De Juan III overwhelmed top-seed Cristiano Calingasan, 6-0, 6-2, in the 12-and-U division. In the 10-and-U unisex category, Calingasan defeated Wind Encarnacion, 4-2, 4-2, and in the girls' 14-and-U class, Torrecampo bested her doubles partner Cadee Dagoon, 6-1, 6-2. Fiel emerged victorious in the 12-and-U division by holding off Francine Wong, 6-0, 7-5.

In women’s doubles, Micaella Encarnacion and Khalifa Ibba defeated Sharon Agustin and Anna Alivia, 8-1, while the unseeded duo of Mingoy Calingasan and Norman Gaspar stunned No. 2 seeds Marraphael Teng and Kraut, 8-5, to clinch the PPS-NTC pro-am trophy.

In the juniors' doubles, Torrecampo and Ibba teamed up to beat Encarnacion and Grace Viceral, 8-1, in the girls’ 18-and-U final. In the 16-and-U championship, Dagoon and Torrecampo narrowly defeated Encarnacion and Ibba, 8-6.

In the boys' doubles, Castigador and Labindao triumphed over De Juan and Serillo, 8-6, in the 14-and-U final, while Bacalso and Castigador easily defeated Zeppelin Flores and Jacob Gonzales, 8-1, to take the 16-and-U crown. Calingasan and Encarnacion captured the 10-and-U unisex title with an 8-0 win over Anika Lardizabal and Jeesie Uy, in a competition supported by Universal Tennis Ranking and ICON Golf & Sports.

In the Legends Combine category, Carlo Gomez and Delfin Torrecampo won the 100 men's doubles, Levi Evangelista and Monmon Hitosis took the 110 title, and Roger Ventura and Nimrod Sagun claimed the 120 plum. Ventura also partnered with Jun Java to win the 130 men’s doubles, while Demetrio Castillo and Ronnie Reyes triumphed in the 140 doubles.