Cebu City-UC crown paddlers dominate national tournament

CEBU, Philippines - After harvesting most of the first place finishes, Team Cebu City-University of Cebu (TCC-UC) table tennis squad finally bagged the overall title for the first time in the Table Tennis National Open and Inter-Scholastic Table Tennis Championship last Thursday at the University of the Philippines-Diliman Gymnasium.

The squad’s head coach Jessica Jawad-Honoridez said that their main purpose of participating was for their preparation for the coming Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) and the Palarong Pambansa, but the players’ performances exceeded her expectations. 

“It was beyond my expectation! Our main purpose is just for the exposure of the players for the two upcoming events so that they will have the edge. But it so happened that they really performed well during the competition. They excelled and I’m proud of them,” said Honoridez.

UC crown paddlers, Dannel Jay Tormis and Val Stephen Jaca were well applauded for their exemplary performances after causing the biggest upset among the best players in the country as they topped the men’s doubles.

The duo of Tormis and Jaca wowed the crowd since the quarterfinals as they thrashed the reigning Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) bronze medalists Richard Gonzales and Rodel Valle in dominating fashion, 11-4, 11-6, 11-8.

The cheering did not stop as the Tormis and Jaca continued their winning streak in the semi-finals after trouncing Philippine Team members Jhong Ortalla and former RP no. 1 player Bong Palermo, 3-2.

The tandem may be young, but they proved to be a force to reckon with as they made it all the way in bagging the men’s doubles title after thumping Zoren Mendiola and Marcos de Jesus of the Table Tennis Association of North District (TaTAND).

“Ganado gyud kaayo ang mga bata while they were playing. I could see the burning passion and their eagerness to deliver a great performance against the best players of the Philippines. I believe that their optimism and their determination to win caused them to succeed in reaching one of their greatest dreams,” said Honoridez.

Aside from the men’s doubles titles, the 15-year old Tormis also bagged the college men’s singles after fending off the 16-year old Jaca in the finals, 3-2. And their teammate, John Paul Christopher Ba-ay got the third place title. It was a 1-2-3 finish for these three young promising Cebuano players.

Tormis, however, did not have a complete sweep as fell prey to the country’s number one player Rodel Valle in the men’s open singles finals, 3-1.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Jacalan, Jerny Kaye Pepito, Jera May Saromines and reigning PRISAA (Private Schools Athletic Association) women’s singles champion Elona Dane Tormis, were not successful in claiming the college women’s title after they bowed to the University of the Philippines squad, 3-2 in their final battle. 

Pepito, on the other hand, got a third place finish in the women’s singles while the tandem of Jacalan and Jaca ended in the second place as they were defeated by Arlene Borja and Al Arnival in the mixed doubles, 3-2.

The lihadors in Roberto Bas, Glenn Jacalan, Rodulfo Russia and Efren Jacalan secured back-to-back titles after dominating the “liha” category against the equally-tough Cagayan de Oro team led by the reigning US Open gold medalist Richard Gonzales in the championships, 2-0.

The team was supported by the University of Cebu (UC) and Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC). (FREEMAN)