Palawan Pawnshop nat’l netfest unwraps

PALAWAN – Top seed Andrew Joshua Cano and No. 2 Marcen Angelo Gonzales take on separate rivals today as they kick off their respective campaigns in the premier division of the Philta Palawan Pawnshop National Championship at the Gov. Socrates Tennis Club in Puerto Princesa here.

Cano squares off Allan Gerard Ordinario while Gonzales battles Edward Jae Sagayap in the lower bracket of the 16-player draw in the 18-and-under boys’ category of the event which gathers the country’s leading junior netters and upcoming stars.

Luke Flores faces Kobe Rosario, Jose Nicolas Cano mixes it up with Andre Santos, and Francisco Santos III and Robert Theo Acosta clash in the other featured matches in the opener of the six-day tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and Technosports’ Babolat.

“We expect a higher level of competition this week since the top finishers in our various regional tournaments are all playing here,” said Bobby Castro, COO of Palawan Pawnshop, the chief backer of the yearlong, nationwide talent-search sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association.

Also on tap are matches in the boys’ 16-, 14- and 12-and-under classes, the girls’ 14- and 12-and-under categories and the 10-unisex, according to tournament in-charge Bobby Mangunay.

Meanwhile, the chase for top honors in the girls’ 18-and-under begins tomorrow with top seed Maia Balce colliding with Gloria Lim and No. 2 Sally Mae Siso tangling with Mariel Odessa Arzaga.

Third seed Alexie Santos tests Ruffa Faye Quinto while No. 4 Khrizelle Sampaton faces Herra Jean Sunio in the day’s other highlight matches.

Meanwhile, Guillermo Nocom, president of Technosports, exclusive distributor of Babolat equipment, said the Philta circuit does not only provide top level tournaments for the country’s young players but also offers free tennis officiating seminar and a series of clinics conducted by Philta’s top coaches.

Tournaments for parents and members of host club are also held as side events.