Palo, Cua share PPS Kabacan honors

MANILA, Philippines — Jose Palo and Dhea Cua fashioned out a pair of convincing triumphs each to clinch the MVP honors in the PPS-PEPP Kabacan national age-group tennis tournament at the Kabacan hard courts in Cotabato recently.

The top-seeded Palo trounced Iñigo Barrios, 6-2, 6-0, to pocket the boys’ 14-and-under crown then upended No. 1 RJ Saldivar, 6-4, 6-0, to snare the 16-U diadem while Cua ripped Jannah Mamac, 6-0, 6-0, in the girls’ 14-U play then whipped Gwyneth Dino, 6-2, 6-1, in the 16-U finals of the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop.

Those romps likewise primed up the duo for the next Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala stop at their turf in Kidapawan City this weekend.

For details, contact event organizer and sports program development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.

Joaquin Palo and Carl Eduarte joined their fellow Kidapawanos in the podium as they topped the boys’ 18- and 12-U divisions, respectively, in the country’s longest talent-search by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro. The former trampled Saldivar, 6-2, 6-1, while the latter battled from a set down to frustrate Andrei Otoc, 1-6, 6-3, 10-7.

Other winners in the tournament sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating) were Sultan Kudarat’s Sanchena Francisco and Divine Collado from Libungan, Cotabato.

Francisco repulsed top seed Joanna Ysulat, 3-6, 6-1, 10-7, in the semis then overpower Kyle Sonza, 6-3, 6-1, to claim the girls’ 18-U trophy while Collado collared the 12-U crown with a 1-6, 6-3, 10-3 escape over Ayeesa Gilbang.