CAGAYAN de Oro pride Francis Casey Alcantara returned home triumphant from the just-concluded 21st Mitsubishi International Juniors Championships at the Rizal Tennis Center in Manila.
Alcantara, who played alongside Raymond Sarmiento in winning the doubles crown, took time out watching the ongoing Smart-Head Junior netfest here at the Nazareth Lawn Tennis Club.
"There's a lot of young talents in Mindanao nowadays. And Cagayan de Oro is not left behind," Alcantara told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
Given the chance, the country's top junior netter won't hesitate to make a courtesy call at the office of Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Constantino Jaraula.
"It's an honor pero maulaw pud si Ni¤o mo-adto kon walay invitation or go-signal sa City Hall," said Casey's amiable mom, Sarah Belle Alcantara.
The younger Alcantara is no doubt the top achiever among Cagayan de Oro athletes in 2009 being the first ever Filipino to win the grandslam event in Melbourne, Australia.
In the Mitsubishi-backed international tourney held in Manila over the weekend, Alcantara stamped his class anew in his pet event -- the doubles.
Alcantara and Sarmiento pummeled Sam Barry of Ireland and Ben McLachlan of New Zealand, 6-4, 6-3 to pocket the doubles plum.
It was the second title for Alcantara, who teamed up with Daniel Berta of Sweden last year, and the first on local soil by Sarmiento, who is representing the United States but whose parents are Filipinos.
"We moved a lot and played aggressively, these were the keys," said Alcantara, who is on his last year in the ITF circuit. With JV reports