MANILA, Philippines — Kathlyn Bugna returns to the Palawan Pawnshop junior tennis circuit seeking another dominant run as she headlines the stellar field in the Bagong Pilipinas Juniors Age Group Tennis Championships at the Capitol indoor and outdoor courts in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat.
The Batang Onay/RSB standout from La Carlota has emerged as the player to beat in the nationwide circuit on the strength of her sustained stellar play. She is coming off a three-title haul in the recent Bagong Pilipinas Manila leg, where she ruled the girls’ 16- and 18-and-under singles and the 18-and-U doubles crown.
Bugna will be tested anew as the week-long tournament, a Group 2 event sanctioned by Philta and the Universal Tennis Rating, got underway Thursday with competitions in the boys’ and girls’ 12-, 14- and 16-and-under divisions. The premier 18-and-U category fires off Friday.
The Isulan stop is also the second leg of another Mindanao swing under the government’s Bagong Pilipinas sports agenda, which seeks to strengthen grassroots sports, promote wellness and expand opportunities for young athletes through public training facilities and youth athletic programs nationwide.
The circuit moves to Kidapawan for its third stop, with the Kidapawan Juniors Championship set Sept. 16-22 at the Kidapawan City courts in Cotabato.
For registration and other tournament details, contact tournament director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
Also tipped to figure prominently in the boys’ premier division of the event, sponsored by Gov. Pax Ali Mangudadatu and supported by A.C. Garcia Corp., Gareco Garcia Refinery Corp., A.C. Garcia Group of Companies and A.C. Garcia Palm Oil Mill Corp., are Krelz Gecosala and Jhazz Fernando.
Gecosala, another multi-titled campaigner in the country’s longest-running talent-search program under the Palawan Pawnshop junior tennis circuit led by president and CEO Bobby Castro, heads the cast in the boys’ 16-and-U division, along with Matteo Calingasan, Kresthan Belacas and Rein Hayana.
Belacas, fresh from a victory and runner-up finish in last week’s Digos City leg, banners the 14-and-under field that includes Francis Dimzon, Jon Roceta and Juan Antonio Cablitas.
Justine Gumbao and Teresinha Calingasan, meanwhile, are expected to wage a spirited battle for the girls’ 14-and-U crown, while Dimzon and Liam Harrow lead the chase for the boys’ 12-and-under title, while Arissa Macapendeg guns for a second straight victory in the girls’ youngest division against Christine Ann Teposo, Athena Guarde, Aleushia Maurin and other rising players. TMT