Tough battles ahead
Mayor Gamao national invitational tennis opens
WITH defending champion Johnny Arcilla out due to a shoulder injury, it will be anybody's game as the Mayor James Gamao National Invitational Tennis Championship 2017 unfurls in Panabo City today.
Arcilla's perennial rival Patrick John "PJ" Tierro, who is seeded first in the tournament, however, downplayed an easy route to the finals and a shot at the title.
Tierro, who hails from Subic, said in a press conference at Hotel Elena yesterday: "Hindi naman sure, everyone who came here also prepared to win here."
Tierro has played most of the other nine players entered in the P150,000 four-day netfest - Leander Lazaro, Vincent Albert Anasta, Fritz Verdad, John Bryan Otico, Noel Mariano Damian, John Marie Altiche, Mark Anthony Alcoseba, Jan Godfrey Seno and Michael Accion and beat most of them but this does not make him complacent.
"They have also beaten me," Tierro said, adding, "Syempre dito nagpraktis para dito. We'll never know. First time naming maglaro sa court, technically lahat pantay-pantay. Let us see how it goes."
He admitted though that he feels the pressure of living up to expectations being the top-ranked player in the meet.
The past five tournaments presented by Merco and Selecta were all held in Davao City. This is the first time that the tournament will be played in Panabo's brand new twin courts.
Tournament newbies Jan Godrey Seno of Cebu City and John Altiche of Valenzuela were thankful to have been invited to join.
Seno said, "This is a great opportunity to step our level since we are playing with the top players in the country. I think Kuya PJ and Kuya Onyok (Anasta) have the edge among all of us because they are already on the top."
Altiche, for his part, said it's an honor to play with his idols Tierro and Anasta.
But Anasta said he is not in tip-top shape like the rest of the players as he missed competing the past five months.
"Magiging challenge ito kasi maraming tournaments akong na miss. Nag schooling ako. Ang level nila di ko alam if kakayanin ng level ko rin.
Sa akin, experience nalang din (ang pagsali ko dito ulit)," Anasta said.
Lazaro took Arcilla's absence as a great opportunity for the rest of them to win.
"Mahigpit ang magiging competition," Lazaro predicted.
Davao City bet Alcoseba, meanwhile, said he is feeling the pressure as the crowd is expected to be rooting for him. "Buhaton lang nako akong best unsa akong makaya. Sa mga niadto diri first time, tagaan nato og maayong dula ang mga manan-aw (I will do everything I can. I hope for the first-timers that we give our spectators a good game)."
Tournament chairman Anton Ferrazzini, also president of Mercantile Corporation (Merco), said Mayor Gamao offered them the use of their new courts.
"Bago mabigay ang court sa citizens of Panabo, gusto nyang ipakita muna ang mga top players (na maglaro) to open their new courts," Ferrazzini said.
The top 10 players will be grouped into two brackets in the singles category. Players in each bracket will play a single round-robin format to determine the top two players who will advance to the semifinals enroute to the championship match set Sunday.