Patrombon top draw as Mati Open unfolds

MANILA, Philippines — Jeson Patrombon sets for grand return to the local tennis stage, headlining a stellar cast in the PPS-PEPP City of Mati Open, which unwraps today at the City of Mati Tennis Club in Davao Oriental.

Sixteen of the country’s leading players are in the 32-player cast with Patrombon back in the hunt after missing the last Open event, the Fr. Suarez Open ruled by Johnny Arcilla, to help spearhead the country’s campaign in the recent Hanoi SEA Games.

He and partner Casey Alcantara, however, failed to keep the men’s doubles gold they captured in the 2019 Manila SEAG, yielding it to compatriots Treat Huey and Ruben Gonzales.

Still, the multi-titled 29-year-old Iligan City ace remains the top draw in the week-long tournament held in conjunction with Mati’s 15th anniversary celebrations with the hosts, led by Mayor Michelle Rabat, guaranteeing a successful staging of the biggest tennis event in the province’s capital city.

The seasoned Arcilla is also in the fold, his confidence bolstered by his straight-set romp over Leander Lazaro in last month’s Fr. Suarez Cup in Malabon City. The likes of Vicente Anasta, Joshua Kinaadman, Fritz Verdad, Noel Damian Jr., Norman Enriquez and Lazaro spice up the chase for the top P40,000 purse.