20th Erne Jawad table tennis tourney on today

CEBU, Philippines - The 20th Erne Jawad Table Tennis Championships also dubbed as the "Visayas Open" unfolds this morning at the Cebu Coliseum.

An elaborate opening ceremony led by the University of Cebu (UC) Dance Troupe will welcome the participants of Cebu’s longest existing table tennis competition.

Before the kick-off bash, however, the event organizers will already start the games to avoid conflict with schedule between the team and individual categories.

Now on its 20th year, some former and current members of the national team opted to join the tournament. Among the top players tp watch out for are PHL mainstays Richard Gonzalez and Ting Ledesma along with Julius Esposo.

In the distaff side, the strong title contenders include Chendrine Balatbat and Ira Malabayabas along with former national player Louise Tabulao.

The seeding of players will be based in last year’s Jawad Cup.

For those who failed to join the previous action, the latest national rankings will be utilized in this Table Tennis Association of the Philippines (TATAP) and Erne Jawad Memorial Table Tennis Club, Inc. (EJMTTCI)-organized tilt.   (FREEMAN)