The Palawan Pawnshop goes a notch higher in its continuing commitment to boost local tennis, holding the PalawanPay National Collegiate Championships beginning today at the Philippine Columbian Association outdoor courts at Plaza Dilao in Manila.
The field features player-students gearing up for the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and National Collegiate Athletic Association wars with the men’s and women’s singles and doubles titles and men’s and women’s team championships up for grabs in the week-long tournament presented by Dunlop.
“This tournament will help raise the level of play in the collegiate ranks, instill discipline among the players and at the same time elevate qualities like determination and teamwork,” said Bobby Castro, president of Palawan Pawnshop, which is also at the forefront of junior tennis development with its annual, country-wide circuit.
In fact, the PalawanPay Juniors Group 1 tournament will be held right after the collegiate tilt from 17 to 22 November also at the PCA courts, home of the annual PCA Open.
University of the East’s Jarell Edangga and Stephen Guia, University of Santo Tomas’ Nilo Ledama and Eric Tangub, University of the Philippines’ Loucas Fernandez, Ateneo de Manila University’s Gabriel Gurria, and National University’s Jude Ceniza and Ibarra Ortega banner the tough 64-player men’s singles draw in the event.
Headlining the women’s singles roster are NU’s Danna Abad, Ateneo’s Althea Ong, Tracy Llamas and Gabby Sandejas, UP’s Dominique Malazarte and Sydney Enriquez, De La Salle University’s Beatrice Gomez and Mikaela Vicencio.
Meanwhile, the PPS-PEPP circuit heads to Cainta, Rizal on 24 November for the Brookside Open featuring the juniors (boys and girls) and the men’s Open with Pampanga hosting the next stop from 6 to 12 December for the Zentro Open in Apalit.
Action shifts to the City of Naga, Cebu from 15 to 22 December for the Dagitab Open.
The top seeded Edangga and No. 2 Guia kick off their respective bids against Adamson’s Vergel Chua and Jeffrey Burgos, respectively, today, while Abad and Ong face Ateneo’s Francesca Ong and UP’s Katherine Mercado in tomorrow’s (Friday) start of women’s singles action.
