IN ANOTHER display of collegiate tennis brilliance, UAAP Lawn Tennis Champion University of Santo Tomas pounded the De La Salle University Tennisters, 4-0, to take the Interschool tournament title at the National Open Tennis Championship, held in Subic from April 27 to May 11.
In the first singles match, UST’s Francis Venzon defeated De La Salle’s Paolo Olbes, 8-4.
In doubles, Venzon teamed up with Art Thomas Calingasan to turn back Olbes and Johann Guba, 8-6.
Meanwhile, UAAP rookie of the year Pius Ocampo sealed the title win for UST after trashing Guba in the second singles match, 8-1.
Despite the victory, the second doubles match was still played out with Tigers Art Phillip Calingasan and Ocampo outlasting the De La Salle duo of Chase Tinio and Don De Dios, 8-6.
The Interschool tournament served as a side event of the National Open Tournament.
In the actual National Open Tennis Championship scene, UAAP most valuable player Gabby Remigio and UST Tennisters coach Karl Santamaria lost a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 decision to the Philippines’ fourth-ranked doubles tandem of Virgilio Sison and Tonito Payumo in the semifinal round.
Remigio and Santamaria had the chance to move on to the next round after opening a 3-1 lead in the third set. However, Sison and Payumo’s experience proved to be the deciding factor as it spelled the end of the Tiger Tennisters’ campaign.
In the other semifinals match, Ocampo and Ian De Guzman also missed out on a ticket to the next round after losing to the country’s number two ranked doubles tandem of Michael Mora and Joseph Victorino, 6-1, 6-1.
Earlier, Remigio and Santamaria survived the combination of Rolando Ruel and Tinio, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
On the women’s side, Tigresses Julie Ann Cadiente and Charisse Godoy lost to the number one ranked junior player in the Philippines, Czarina Arevalo, and University of the Philippines’ Tracy Santos, 6-4, 7-5, in the semifinal round.
In the singles division, Godoy lost to Arevalo, 2-6, 6-4, 2-6, and Santos defeated Cadiente, 6-3, 6-1. Dexter R. Matilla
