Frencillo closes in on NCR tennis berth

MANILA, Philippines –  Big City bet Ariel Frencillo scored a pair of shutout victories to close in on one of the two slots in the National Capital Region tennis qualifier for elementary boys of the Palarong Pambansa at the Rizal Tennis Center yesterday.

The 11-year-old Frencillo, a Grade Five pupil at the Celedonio Salvador Elementary School in Paco, Manila, downed John Kenneth Salazar of Caloocan, 8-0, and then trounced Joel Atienza of San Juan, 8-0, to boost his bid for one of the two NCR slots in the national Palaro in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte this summer.

Frencillo hopes to roll past Ben Libao of Makati, an 8-0 winner over Gerald Jugo of Valenzuela, to finish in the top two in Group A for a seat in the crossover playoff where he would need to hurdle one of the top two players to clinch a slot in the Dapitan meet.

Julian Dayrit of Parañaque downed Reuben Fernandez of Quezon City, 8-2, while Antonio Villarosa of Muntinlupa defeated Ferds Bill Agustin of Pasig, 8-5, and Joaquin Torres of Mandaluyong, 8-0, to forge their own duel in Group A on Monday.

“So far, so good, we’re on target of making it to the national Palarong Pambansa,” said Frencillo’s coach Arnaldo Rubi in Filipino.

In Group B action, Quezon City’s Cenon Gonzales smashed Diego Dayrit of Parañaque, 8-0, to set up a showdown with Thomas Puno of Muntinlupa, who pummeled Lorenzo Chua of Mandaluyong, 8-1, and Cedrick Sanciago of Pasig, 8-0.

San Juan’s Jerome Romualdez, an 8-0 winner over Manila’s France Jayson Villena, 8-0, and Makati’s Angelo Cereza, who dumped Jeremiah Macias of Las Piñas, 8-1, will clash in the other group match.