New faces are expected to emerge with the young guns from Pulilan, Bulacan and nearby cities and towns clash in today’s (Saturday) start of the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Pera Padala Pulilan Youth-Bulacan national age group tennis tournament at the Pulilan Tennis Club outdoor tennis courts.
Close to 200 entries are all geared up for the five-day battle in the nine-division event, a Group 2 tournament hosted by Larry Pascua and members of the Pulilan Tennis Club in support of the country’s long-running talent-search put up by Palawan Pawnshop.
Denise Bernardo, member of the Unified Tennis Philippines’ national junior team, and Mikaela Vicencio banner the girls’ 18-and-under cast that also drew Julia Ignacio and Katherine Mercado while Jester Ocio and Daniel Estanislao III loom as the top contenders in the boys’ side of the premier category of the event presented by Dunlop and backed by Asiatraders Corp.
“With so many young players wanting to get a feel of tournament play, the PPS-PEPP circuit provides the proper venue for these future stars to showcase their talent and skills,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.
Justine Maneja and Gaby Zoleta, meanwhile, lead the chase in the girls’ 16-U play with Ocio and Estanislao likewise gaining the top two seedings in the boys’ side of the event sanctioned by the UTP, made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg.
Keen competition is also expected in the rest of the categories with Maneja and Ignacio also top billing the 14-U group with Axi Gonzaga, Thomas Bernardo, Keno Enriquez and Miguel Vicencio tipped to slug it out in the boys’ division.
The Lim sibings, John Price and Kris Roque, look to dispute the 12-U and 10-unisex titles but both face strong challenge from the likes of Kean Enriquez and Joshua Diva in the 12-U hostilities.
Meanwhile, PPS-PEPP action shifts to Zamboanga del Norte next week. Listup is ongoing. For details, call PPS-PEPP Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
