Angara wins 12-U crown

Edgardo Angara survived a grueling showdown with local ace Ceasar Salimbangon to capture the boys’ 12-and-under crown while Tiffany Nocos cruised to 10-unisex victory in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age group presented by Technifibre at the Consolaction Tennis Club in Laray, Cebu yesterday.

Angara, son of Sen. Sonny Angara and one of NCR’s rising stars, broke Salimbangon once in each set in his 6-4, 6-4 win while Nocos, also from Cebu, dominated Ethan Quino, 4-0, 4-2, as they led the winners in the Group 2 tournament.

Ma. Dominique Ong, also from Manila, bucked a scare from Zethley Alferez, 6-3, 7-5, in the semis then beat Shyne Villareal, 6-4, 6-3, to pocket the girls’ 18-U title while La Carlota’s Tracy Llamas trounced Bless Coderos, 6-1, 6-1, for the 14-U crown after a two-title romp in the Lapu-Lapu leg last week. The Cebuano bets, meanwhile, stamped their class in the rest of the categories with the third-ranked Norman Enriquez from Pardo beating Rey Toledo, 6-1, 6-0, for the boys’ 18-U plum; Carl Zudie Balundo from Consolacion toppled Dale Estanillo, 6-4, 6-2, for the 16-U title; Vhenz Alforque from Naga City, Cebu, upending top seed Sebastien Lhuillier, 6-4, 6-2, in the semis then thwarting Adrian Kinaadman, 6-4, 6-2, for the 14-U diadem.

Naga City, Cebu’s Alferez took the girls’ 16-U title with a 6-3, 6-3 reversal over top seed Villareal; and Lyra Mae Repollo, also from Naga City, rolled past Febbie Abayan, 6-2, 6-3, to clinch the girls’1 2-U plum in the event sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association headed by president and Paranaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez.