Patrimonio, Arcilla bag PPS Tuna Fest plums
Clarice Patrimonio poured it all out in the tiebreaker and clinched a tough 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(2) decision over Khim Iglupas while Johnny Arcilla held off Leander Lazaro, 7-5, 6-1, as they shared top honors in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Tuna Festival Open Tennis Championship at the Gen. Santos City Tennis Club in Gen. Santos City over the weekend.
Patrimonio blew a 2-0 lead in the third set but fought back from two sets down twice and came through with key shots in the 12th game to force a tiebreaker which she dominated to snare the crown and top purse worth P20,000.
The victory likewise avenged Patrimonio straight-set setback to the Iligan City native in the recent Olivarez Cup finals and snap the former’s long title spell in the country’s premier circuit sponsored by the country’s leading pawnshop, remittance and claim center Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.
Arcilla, on the other hand, rallied from 1-4 down in the first set with a sweep of the next three games, fell down again as Lazaro held serve in the ninth game before winning the next three.
Seizing the set and the momentum, the veteran Lazaro dominated the second set with a variety of shots, taking the first five games on his way to victory to retain the crown worth P30,000 and snap back-to-back title defeats to PJ Tierro in the recent PCA Open tournaments.
“Clarice is due for a big one and it’s nice to see her winning again while Johnny, with his discipline and determination, has been very consistent in the circuit and continued to serve as an inspiration to our young players,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/ CEO Bobby Castro.
The 22-year-old Patrimonio, actually started out strong, taking a 3-1 lead in the opening frame but sputtered with her shots and poor return shots, enabling Iglupas to rack up the next five games and the set.
But Patrimonio put on another strong start in the second and this time sustaining her charge, winning the first three games and taking three of the next six to force a deciding set.