Diaz, Bona share Escudero Cup top honors
Top seed Jana Diaz thwarted Chloe Mercado, 6-3, 6-4, while No. 2 Kendrick Bona halted third ranked Lexious Cruz, 6-3, 6-1, as they ruled the 16-andunder division of the PPS-PEPP Escudero Cup National Tennis Open Championships in San Pablo City last Sunday.
Diaz kicked off her title drive with a shutout win over Ave Policarpio then turned back Sandra Bautista, 6-1, 7-5, before holding off Mercado, who barely escaped with a 3-6, 7-5, 10-7 win over Joy Ansay in the semis, to clinch the crown at the Aera Tennis Club.
The Bacoor, Cavite find and Mercado, from Quezon City, later shared the top honors in 18-U play after heavy rains washed out the finals of the girls’ premier division of the Group 1 tournament presented by Dunlop.
Bona’s straight-set romp over Cruz spiked the Puerto Princesa bet’s dominant run that had him dropping just three games in three matches on his way to the finals. Cruz from Cabanatuan, meanwhile, stunned top seed Reign Maravilla, 6-1, 4-6, 10-8, in the semis of the country’s longest talent-search put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Ivan Manila, on the other hand, wore down Bona in the decider as the second ranked bet from Nueva Ecija spoiled the latter’s “double” bid with a 6-0, 1-6, 10-7 win in the 18-U class of the event backed by Rep. Loreto Amante, Rep. Edwin Olivarez, Rep. Sonny Lagon, Arman Santos, Converge, Mitsubishi Motors and Slazenger.
Other winners in the tournament that capped a twoweek-long tennis festival ushered in by the Open championship topped by Johnny Arcilla were Sta. Rosa City’s Jaekob Palaroan and Maristella Torrecampo from Los Baños, Cruz and Ansay, and Caleb Villeno.