RJ Abarquez outlasted former age group superstar Janjie Soquino, 8-6 yesterday to snare the championship title of the 2015 Cebu City Men’s Open tennis tournament at the Pardo Tennis Organization Inc.’s clay court in Pardo, Cebu City.
The tournament served as Cebu City’s selection process for members of its tennis squad who will don the city’s colors in the upcoming 2015 Philippine National Games.
Abarquez and Soquino were already named to the Cebu City LGU team for the PNG alongside the two losing semifinalists, Jan Godfrey Seno and Chang Mai Necesario.
Abarquez faced a break point in his opening game when Soquino went up, 30-40 but saved it and grabbed a 1-0 lead in the straight-8 final.
After holding his serve in the third game, Abarquez broke Soquino in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead in the tournament sponsored by the Cebu City Government.
However, Soquino broke back in the fifth and held his serve in the sixth to level the score at 3-all. The game went on serve until the ninth game when Soquino tasted his first lead of the match by breaking Abarquez to go up 5-4.
But Abarquez won seven straight points in the next two games to retake the lead at 6-5 before Soquino tied the match at 6 games all.
Soquino went ahead at 40-love on Abarquez’s serve in the 12th game but Abarquez, playing stronger as the match progressed, brought it to deuce before holding serve to go up, 7-6. The former stalwart of the University of San Jose Recoletos varsity team then pummeled Soquino with heavy returns in the 14th game to win the match.