JOHNNY Arcilla has made winning titles a habit this year.
And yesterday was another case in point as the 36-year-old who is the country’s top netter pulled off a twinkill in the Palawan Pawnshop – Palawan Express Pera Padala (PPS-PEPP) Dagitab Festival regional tennis tournament at the Naga City Tennis Club in southern Cebu.
The eight-time Philippine Colombian Association (PCA) champion scored his biggest win in the men’s open play as he went on to sweep the PPS-PEPP men’s open titles by surviving long time rival Patrick John Tierro in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, to grab his second straight Dagitab Festival tennis crown.
Coming into their initial encounter, Arcilla had already beaten Tierro twice in the PPS-PEPP open tournaments, winning in the Olivarez Cup last August and most recently beating his rival in the Pintaflores Festival in San Carlos City last month. He also went on to defeat Leander Lazaro in the Tunafest Festival last September in General Santos.
In a game primed for another classic, Arcilla made the most of his opportunities as he displayed a series of crisp forehands and sizzling backhands to take an early 3-1 lead in the opening set.
From there on, Arcilla carried his momentum in the next sequences as he managed to keep the 31-year-old Tierro, who was raring for an upset, at bay.
Arcilla put the proverbial icing to the cake in what has been a stellar year for him as he teamed up with Khim Iglupas to defeat the pair of Leander Lazaro and Aileen Rogan, 7-6 (5) 3-6, 6-2, to nab the the mixed doubles crown.
In women’s singles play, it took two hours and 50 minutes for National University (NU) standout Clarice Patrimonio to hold off a defiant Iglupas, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
Meanwhile, tennis players should expect more PPS-PEPP tournaments for next year as organizers aim to continue to provide avenue for players to hone their skills.
“The big turnout only inspires us to continue supporting and developing the sport and as we continue to discover and produce talents from this series of ranking tournaments, we have lined up a bigger circuit next year,” said Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro.
This year, the PPS-PEPP have put through 52 tennis events specifically 47 age-group competitions and seven open tournaments.