The goal of the Mayor Joedith Gallego National Junior Tennis Championships is to give young talent a stage on which to display their abilities. It begins on Friday, November 9, at the Silay courts in Negros Occidental.
About 200 competitors are vying for first place in a number of age-group divisions, with Hannah Divinagracia, Louchelaj Estember, and the Makilan sisters Guillerma and Gennalyn at the forefront of the female 18-and-under division. Conversely, Jay Lorico, Miguel Alarcon, Enzo Alipo-on, and Jeremy Napiere lead the boys’ class in the top division of the Dunlop-sponsored Group 1 championship.
The boys’ 16-, 14-, and 12-and-U divisions all drew jam-packed 32-player draws, demonstrating the young players’ desire to succeed this week as well as to consider their future opportunities.
This is the first time Silay City has held a tournament of this nature, demonstrating the city’s dedication to supporting its young people and raising local tennis players’ standards.
A commitment has been made by Mayor Gallego to include it in the city’s sports programme each year.
“Our goal is to encourage young people to play tennis and possibly gain admission to prestigious universities in Manila,” stated Gallego.
While Rodriguez and Ciaran Alipo-on secure the top two seeds in the 14-U group of the week-long event held as part of the PPS-PEPP junior programme put up by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro, Napiere also leads the 16-U cast, which also includes Andrian Rodriguez, Romell Gimena, and Takuya Joson.
In the 12-and-U division, Ciaran Alipo-on and Kent Largavista are the players to watch, while Kate Chavez, Kathyrine Bugna, Rodjun Largavista, and Jacq Lorico are anticipated to contend for the top 10-and-unisex title.
However, Divinagracia also has action in the 16-and-U division, which is led by Kate Imalay. Estember and Queen Villa are also in the running, and Imalay also wins the 14-and-U division with Alexa Cruspero, Villa, and Isobel Alipo-on.
The favourites to contest the 12-and-U diadem in the event are Cruspero, Isobel Alipo-on, Bugna, and Faith Makilan. Ranking points will also be at stake under the Unified Tennis Philippines and UTR (Universal Tennis Rating) programmes.
Following that is the inaugural Metro Iloilo Tennis Federation (MITF) Open, Juniors and Legends competition, which will take place at the Metropolis courts in Iloilo City from November 15–21.
