Top bets roll into Palawan Pawnshop tennis QF

MANILA, Philippines - Top seed Khenz Justiniani and No. 2 Pete Rodriguez fashioned out a pair of straight-set victories to lead six other fancied bets in the quarterfinal round of the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age group tennis circuit presented by Tecnifibre at the St. Michael Tennis Court in Pontevedra, Negros Occidental yesterday.

Justianiani, who drew a bye in the first round, overpowered Marie Pielago, 6-2, 6-2, while Rodriguez scored a walkover win in the first round then blasted Matthew Cando, 6-0, 6-1, in the lower bracket of the 10-unisex division of the four-day event sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and Technifibre and held for the first time in Pontevedra.

“This is the first time that the municipality of Pontevedra is staging a national age-grouper and we thank Palawan Pawnshop for helping boost the sport here,” said Mayor Jose Maria Alonso. “There are actually ongoing construction and expansion of tennis courts here for our youth and at the same time keep at par with our neighbors as far as junior tennis is concerned.”

Others who advanced were No. 3 Joshua Raymundo, fourth ranked Kerwin de Asis, No. 5 John Paul Lorico, sixth seed Andrie Estember, No. 8 Alexa Joy Milliam and Rose Segura.

Raymundo beat Achilles Jainar, 6-1, 6-4; de Asis bundled out Fritz Verances, 6-1, 6-1; Lorico whipped Jan Jarquero, 6-1, 6-1; Estember crushed Bryan Media, 6-4, 6-1; Milliam trounced Wendy Galanza, 6-2, 6-2; and Segura turned back Joe Mar Oritizo in a thrilling 2-6, 6-2, 11-9 win.

Meanwhile, Averille Sacapano takes aim at three titles as she vies in the girls’ 12-, 14- and 16-and-under categories while fancied Toni Rose Raymundo is tipped to dominate the girls’ 18-and-U and is a top contender in the 16-and-U division of the event serving as the sixth leg of the 29-stage nationwide circuit sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association.

Adrian Javier, Divesh Amarnani, James Caballo and Michael Gayondato joined top seed Fernando Jose Arguelles and No. 2 Adrian Dehertogh in the boys’ premier 18-and-U division with straight-set victories over their respective rivals.

Javier toppled Kyle Tupas, 6-2, 6-0; Amarnani ousted Leomar Domingo, 6-2, 6-1; Caballo downed Randy Cruz, 6-3, 6-2; and Gayondato repulsed Jude Alipala, 6-4, 7-5.

Pete Rodriguez, on the other hand, led the Last 8 cast in the 12-and-U group as he defeated Michael Lorico, 6-0, 6-1. The other quarterfinalists were Edryck Benoya, Joshua Raymundo, Justiniani, Guillan Bandoquillo, John Rich de Jilla and Clark Dioso.