MANILA, Phlippines — Matthew Morris and Alexa Cruspero lead a deep and determined cast of young tennis hopefuls as the Governor’s Cup Juniors Tennis Championships get under way Thursday (Sept. 17) at the Capitol Tennis Courts here.
Morris headlines the boys’ premier 18-and-under division, which also features Andrian Rodriguez, Hazer Malicay and Rafa Callao, while Cruspero braces for a spirited challenge from Mercy Pinili, Georgina Emperado, Zarephath Gabrielle, Princess Pampula and Winchell Ann Druey in the girls’ 18-and-U class.
The Group 2 tournament, presented by Dunlop and staged under the Palawan Pawnshop nationwide talent-search, brings together one of the province’s strongest assemblies of junior players, with ranking points and age-group honors at stake.
Cruspero is also entered in the girls’ 16-and-U division, where she will face Etha Seno, Jhaira Lanterna and Marypauren Balolong. Morris, meanwhile, is chasing a possible two-title haul in the boys’ 16-and-U category against Rodriguez, Xian Calagos and Prince Cantino.
With entries swelling across the various age divisions, organizers are tapping additional playing venues in Larena and Ibabaw to accommodate the competition.
The strong turnout reflects the growing interest in tennis among Siquijor’s young athletes, with the sport’s local following getting an added boost from the international breakthrough of Filipino tennis star Alex Eala.
The juniors championships form part of a busy week for tennis in Siquijor, which is hosting the Governor’s Cup for the first time. The province is also staging the inaugural Governor’s Cup Open, which got under way Tuesday and has drawn a strong field of its own.
Top seed John Benedict Aguilar barged into the Open quarterfinals after James Binoya retired with Aguilar ahead, 1-0. He will next meet Kurt Kilat Jr., who dispatched Jan Sepe, 6-1, 6-1.
Also advancing to the quarterfinals are No. 2 seed Nilo Ledama, Vicente Anasta, Richard Bautista, Eric Tangub, Morris and Malicay.
The week-long tennis festival, hosted and sponsored by Siquijor Gov. Jake Villa and sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) and Universal Tennis Rating, also features Legends competitions in the 35-and-under and 50-and-under divisions, with singles and doubles events on tap.
In the juniors tournament, titles will be contested in boys’ and girls’ singles in the 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-and-under divisions, as well as boys’ and girls’ doubles in the 14-and-under and 18-and-under categories. TMT
