Tierro, De Dios stamp class in junior tennis

Olongapo City bets Patrick John Tierro and Nico Riego de Dios played true to form, winning their respective divisions yesterday in the season-ending Milo Junior Tennis Cup at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

The 17-year-old Tierro captured his first-ever boys’ 21-under title after hacking out a 6-4, 6-2 victory over San Sebastian’s Nino Salvador.

Later in the day, Tierro defeated Cebuano Janjie Soquino, 6-3, 6-2, to pocket his third 18-under title after the PCA Open Juniors and the Copa de Manila early this year.

Riego de Dios, unseeded in the boys 16-under division, pulled off a 6-0, 6-1 upset over top seed and San Beda player Nestor Celestino Jr. to win his third title.

On his way to the finals, Riego de Dios eliminated the fourth-ranked Soquino, 6-4, 6-4, and second seed Arithmetico Lim, 6-4, 6-4.

In the boys’ 14-under class, top seed Russell Arcilla Jr. of Letran, the youngest brother of RP Davis Cupper Johnny, recovered from a first-set loss to win the title over the third-seeded James Murrell, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Unranked Cebuano James Canete, a high school freshman at the University of Visayas and a native of Liloan, was crowned boys’ 12-under champion after posting a 7-5, 5-7, 6-0 upset win over top-ranked Gerard Michael Ngo of Lourdes School.

Top seed Cebuano Bernardine Siso outlasted second seed Akio Sy, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, to win the unisex 10-under title in this Group 2 event organized by the Children’s Tennis Workshop and supported by Adidas and Sports Kids.