Gonzales cops title in PSC-Philta National netfest

MANILA, Philippines – Second seed Marcen Gonzales downed No. 4 Chris Justin Prulla, 6-3, 6-2, to crown himself champion in the boys' premiere 18-under division of the PSC-Philta National age group tennis tournament at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

Another Gonzales, third pick Cenon, reigned supreme in the boys 16-under section after hacking out a 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 6 Justin Suarez in this event sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission and held under the auspices of the Philippine Tennis Association.

Top seed Aljohn Talatayod lived up to his top billing after he smashed No. 2 Jan Harold Trillanes, 6-0, 6-2, to rule the boys' 12-and-under class in this tournament backed by Asiatraders Corp. for the Dunlop For All Court Balls.

It was a dominating performance by Talatayod, who never conceded a single set in this five-day competition, the last tournament of the year.

In the girls' 12-and-under bracket, heavy favorite Alexan Eala clobbered No. 2 Miles Vitaliano, 6-1, 6-3, to claim the crown.

No. 3 Frances Angelica Santiago capped her impressive performance with a nerve-wracking 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over a feisty 14-year-old Rafaella Villanueva in the most entertaining match of the day.

Santiago, who is also coming off another marathon 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 decision over top seed Nikki Ong the day before, thus emerged the best in the girls' 16-and-under group.

Her list of victims also included No. 7 Nikka Alanis, 6-1, 6-1, in the round-of-16 and unranked Mikaela Vicencio, 6-0, 6-0, in the opening round.

It was a sorry loss for Villanueva, daughter of Philta vice president and Philippine Davis Cup team administrator Randy, who was hoping to win a title in the division and against foes two years her senior.

Villanueva, who topped the 16-under event in the middle of this year and represented the country in the Women's Tennis Association age group tournament in Singapore, was hoping at press time to win her semifinal showdown with Nikki Ong at press time and advance to the finals.

No. 1 Miguel Luis Vicencio battled a stubborn No. 5 Samuel Nuguit in a grueling three-setter before eking out a 5-3, 3-5, 4-2 win to snare the 10-and-under division.

Vicencio made it here by trouncing No. 8 James Rohan Cruz, 5-3, 4-0, while Nuguit slew No. 2 Carlos Macie, 4-2, 5-4 (6), 10-4, and No. 4 Marc Andrei Jarata, 1-4, 4-2, 4-2, to make it this far.

In the end, Nuguit just lost steam after figuring in his third three-setter in the tournament.