Johnny Arcilla tries to get the grip against the same field he had dominated last week in chase of a second straight crown in the Lanao del Sur National Open which got going Sunday at the MSU courts in Marawi City.
Arcilla fashioned out a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Eric Jed Olivarez in the Lanao del Norte Open finals to herald his return to the top Open ladder after getting axed in the semis of the Malita Open in Davao Occidental last month that halted his dominant run in the country’s premier championships.
But while he’s confident of his chances for a sweep of the Lanao swing of the circuit under the PPS-PEPP program, the many-time PCA Open champion and veteran Davis Cupper remains cautious of his fellow seasoned campaigners and a pack of young rivals ready to pounce on every opportunity.
At stake in the Group A tournament, which also features Nilo Ledama, Eric Tangub, Jeleardo Amazona, Noel Salupado, John David Velez and John Alejandre, is the top P80,000 purse out of the total P450,000 prize.
Aside from Arcilla and Olivarez, others vying in the week-long event are Jude Ceniza, John Sonsona, Aslan Carbonilla, Evan Bacalso, Nicolas Gutierrez, Francisco Santos, Ibarra Ortega and Dave Mosqueda.
