Thursday, June 02, 2005
Race is on
By Jade S. Violeta
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
RP men's No.2 Johnny Arcilla kept alive his hopes of taking over the No.1 spot before the month is over after advancing to the round of 32 in the 1st Vice Gov. Sanchez Men’s National Tennis Open at the Liloan Tennis Club in Liloan, Cebu yesterday.
The 24-year-old Arcilla had an easy time against Brian Potornak, securing a 6-2, 6-2 win in the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta)-sanctioned tournament to join RP No.1 John Patrick Tierro and the other opening-day winners in the next round.
The second-seeded Arcilla, based in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, currently has 2,200 points in the Philta rankings to trail Tierro’s 2,250 by a mere 50 points.
This tournament will award 600 points to the champion and 400 to the runner-up.
Meantime, RP No.5 Chiemil Mantua aped Arcilla’s feat down to exactly the same score as he marched into the next round with a win over Cebu City’s Christian Tiongco.
Also advancing in the competition co-sponsored by Nature’s Spring, Lactopafi, Sta. Lucia Realty, Cosmos Bottling and Coca-Cola are RP No.12 Ricardo Lagac Jr., who beat qualifier Danreb Donio, 6-2, 6-3, and RP No.17 Nico Riego de Dios, who waylaid Menandro Econg, 6-1, 6-0.
The list includes Jandrick de Castro, who bested Kennex Abadia, 6-2, 6-2, Christian Canlas, who topped Edwin Bacarisas, 6-2, 7-6 and Richard delos Reyes, who booted out Mon-mon Muñoz, 6-3, 5-0 (retired), and Ken Alburo, who stopped Julrico Pagsiat’s lucky run that started in the qualifying rounds, 6-1, 6-0.
In the Doubles event, the top-seeded pair of Arcilla and Joseph Victorino barged into the round of 16 without shedding a sweat after winning by default over the Menandro Econg-Redentor tandem.
Maclean Barraquias and Arvin Jurao outplayed the pair of Cebuano Janjie Soquiño and Mon-mon Muñoz, 6-3, 6-3.
(June 2, 2005 issue)
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