Johnny Arcilla came away with a couple of breaks to shatter doubles partner Ronard Joven, 6-4, 6-4, in the finals and get back on the winning track in the Puerto Princesa National Tennis Championships at the Karawatan PPS tennis courts in Palawan last Wednesday.
The Davis Cup veteran broke Joven early in the opening set to wrest a 2-1 lead then never gave the latter a chance to equalize in a hold-hold game the rest of the frame.
Joven, however, put up a tougher stand in the second, battling his multi-titled rival to a 4-4 count before yielding the ninth as Arcilla broke out from 30-all game with back-to-back points to seize control.
Arcilla took the first three points in the 10th, dropped the next but finished off Joven in the ensuing play to clinch the crown worth P30,000 in a victory that somewhat erased the stigma of his early semis exit in the Gov. Edwin Jubahib Cup in Davao del Norte last August.
He added another P20,000 in earnings which he and Joven split after they crushed the Jose Maria Pague-Christian Fel Lopez pair in the doubles final of the week-long event.
On his way to the championship, the durable Arcilla routed John Ed Melegrito, 4-0, 4-0, ripped young Mcleen Gomera, 4-1, 4-0, survived Loucas Fernandez, 5-4(2), 4-0, then trounced Pague in the semis, 6-1, 6-0.
Joven, on the other hand, got past Andre Santos, 4-2, 4-1, tripped Evan Bacalso, 4-1, 4-1, dispatched Elvin Geluz, 4-2, 4-0, before dominating second seed Jarell Edangga, 6-3, 6-1.
Sharing the podium finish were women’s doubles champions Khyshana Hitosis-Trizzia Talan, who beat Myra Era-Anne Galias; Legends men’s doubles 100 titlists Carlo Gomez and Ramon Hitosis, who foiled Teddy Martin and Levi Evangelista; Legends men’s doubles 110 winners Boy Concepcion-Evangelista, who toppled Ediemar Estrella-Dean Pe; Legends men’s doubles 120 victors Roger Ventura and Jun Java, who downed Concepcion and Romy Mabella; and Legends men’s doubles 130 winners Ventura and Dante Villar, who edged Mabella and Butch Ferrero.
