AJ Lim rounded off a brilliant week-long display of aggressive tennis as he smothered Fritz Verdad, 6-2, 6-1, in the final to secure the Mayor Eric Olivarez Cup National Open Tennis crown in Parañaque last Sunday.
As what he had done all week, Lim went on an attack mode early and took the first three points in the first game off Verdad’s serve, only to yield the next four. What ensued was a virtual duel of nerves with Lim pulling through after five deuces, including a sweep of the last three points.
But after a hold-hold-hold game, Lim, 24, broke again in the fifth and held sway the rest of the way. They traded breaks in the first three games in the second frame before Lim held in the fourth to wrest a 3-1 lead then broke Verdad twice to essay the straight-set romp worth P50,000 and UTP (Unified Tennis Philippines) and UTR (Universal Tennis) points.
More importantly, the victory served as a big morale-boost for the former multi-titled junior campaigner, whose last big win was in Malaysia three years ago where he claimed both the singles and doubles titles.
“Winning this tournament gave me the confidence and belief that I can play toe-to-toe against our top-caliber players,” said Lim, who went on a hiatus due to illness before returning to competitive play in the Brookside Open last April.
“The key was to be aggressive right away and to not give my opponent a chance to get his rhythm and momentum,” said the former University of the East spearhead.
“I obviously give the credit to Fritz, who was able to stay there and make me work for every single point.”
The unranked Lim, who dropped just 12 games in six matches, including a 6-1, 6-0 win over third seed Vicente Anasta in the semis, said he didn’t expect to go all the way to the championship in the event sponsored by the Olivarez family, stressing: “I was not expecting anything at all going into this competition. But I know I am ready to compete whoever it is that I’m going up against.”
