PPS Valle Verde junior tennis gets going

JUNIOR tennis returns to the Big City on Thursday, January 25, as the Valle Verde National Tennis Championships unwraps in Pasig with close to 300 entries vying for top honors and ranking points across nine agegroup categories.

Leading the charge in the girls’ 18-and-under category are standout players Chloe Mercado, Sandra Bautista, Joy Ansay and Ronielle Oliveros banner the girls’ 18-and-under field while Ethan Cablitas, Ivan Manila, Ariel Cabaral and Frank Dilao slug it out in the boys’ side of the premier division of the Group 2 tournament at the Valle Verde Country Club courts.

Except for the girls’ 18-and-under play, the eight other age-group classes present 32-player draws, indicating the overwhelming response to this weeklong tournament held under the Palawan Pawnshop junior program. Notably, the event follows the lifting of the two-year suspension imposed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) on the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta).

Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino has expressed the significance of Philta’s return to active ITF tournaments, emphasizing the motivation of the ITF to support Philtam now under the leadership of president and Parañaque City Mayor Eric Olivarez.

The reinstatement is considered a crucial moment for tennis not only in the country but also in the Asian region.

Despite the ITF suspension, the Palawan Pawnshop circuit, spearheaded by Bobby Castro, president and chief executive officer, continued to foster the sport’s development through yearlong tournaments, including various Open championships, featuring top-tier players.

Looking ahead, the PPS-PEPP has lined up 40 regular legs for regular junior tournaments sanctioned by Philta, covering a range of age categories for boys and girls. It also includes Grand Slam Juniors tournaments, a year-end incentive tournament and a collegiate division featuring individual and team events.

The Palawan Pawnshop tournaments, presented by Dunlop and backed by Slazenger, are all sanctioned by the Universal Tennis Rating online platform and are supported by 22 Palawan Pawnshop regional officers in charge nationwide.