OROQUIETA’S own tennis star Nash Agustines on Sunday won the first titular match of the day, even as the home bets threatened to take a piece of the spotlight in the Cagayan de Oro leg of the 2017 Cebuana Lhuillier Age Group Tennis Tournament at the Nazareth Lawn tennis courts in Cagayan de Oro City.
Agustines, easily one of the tourney’s most bemedalled athletes, ran roughshod over Heins Aslan Carbonilla of Lanao Norte, 6-2, 6-2 to pocket the under-12 boys title.
“Nash has been a regular visitor of the Cagayan de Oro leg and he always proves to be a winner,” said Vis-Min legs organizer Mario Inquito Craiz who is set to travel for the next Mindanao Series leg in Maranding, Lanao del Norte.
The Cagayan de Oro-based talents were not to be left out as they’re still very much alive in title-contention.
Corpus Christi’s Mary Aubrey Calma, easily the hottest lady campaigner today in the countryside’s junior rivalry, gamely hurdled the elimination matches in lopsided manner. Calma awaits the winner between Elizabeth Abarquez of Cebu City and Merkisslyn Ubay-ubay of Lanao Norte in the under-18 girls final.
Underrated Casey Padilla, Calma’s fellow varsity at Corpus Christi School, is also hot on fire in both the under-12 and under-14 girls categories as well as CdeO’s unisex under-10 entry Kian Sanchez.
The fast-learning Sanchez defeated Jofrey Dakay, 4-2, 4-2 to arrange a title showdown with Al Rasheed Lucman, a 4-0, 4-1 winner over Sanchez’s former conqueror Chauncy Johann Agwanta, who is also from Cagayan de Oro.
“Ganahan ko motudlo ining bataa (Kian) kay medyo naay talent liwat sa uncle,” said the elder Bebot Sanchez, one of the Nazareth tennis club’s resident trainers.
A round of upsets geared its ugly head in the other age brackets.
Little-known Liam Dave Digal upended Surigao pride Rupert Ohrelle Tortal to face Brent Signmond Cortes of Tubod, Lanao Norte in the under-14 boys finals.
In the premier under-18 boys division, Andrei Cuevas took the measure of Cagayan de Oro’s Jonelle Christian Llavore to join the Sonsona brothers, John Renest and John Ernest in the semifinals along with Symon Jones Jaculan.
This, as Abarquez and Zambo sensation Sydney Ezra Enriquez positioned themselves each in the semis in under-16 and under-14 girls levels.
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