JEDDAH, 5 April — A weak Francis Idjao of Saudi Divers team in Category B2, stunned the spectators including his teammates at the Albilad Hotel tennis courts moments after his second set victory over NCB — seeing him withdrawing from the rush of hugs and cheers of his teammates, walking to an isolated area in the court, and wiping what could have been a rare victory tear. It was first time that a victory tear emoted in an ASTEC tournament, and not few observers remarked that the climax of that second set unwittingly put high premium on the intense competition and the coveted championship titles that are at stakes — vis-a-vis the highly praised conduct of the tournament.
The touchy scene was a sequel to an intensely played end-games wherein Francis carried his double almost all the way up to the last shot of a pulsating tiebreaker which he ended at 7-5 and awarded his team the pivotal second set — and a prelude to an inevitable championship victory. High point in that tiebreaker came in the 7th game against an equally strong doubles in Louie Bautista and Hermie Calauag of NCB wherein Francis virtually played a game of his life by taking charge of his doubles to level at 4-4 from 3-4 points down and covered for his ailing doubles-partner, Caloy Masinsin, who was practically ineffective on forehand shots. That exciting 7th tiebreaker game climaxed with a rapid exchange of volleys from both sides of the protagonists, Francis versus Hermie and Louie, ranging from mid-court to mid-court with the ball dropping shorter and shorter and side-spinning from left to right then left at extreme ends and too close to the net; and then, finally, the ball dropped and stopped at the courtside of NCB. That play saw the ball skimmed the net chord six times and kept Caloy Masinsin out of action and frozen at the no-man’s zone of their court.
Louie and Hermie rattled in four straight points after trailing 0-2 to take the lead at 4-2 early in that set, but the NCB double suddenly found their rhythm derailed from the smart serves of Caloy Masinsin, who used a low toss serve due to his hurting right shoulder, that overtook and buried their lead at 4-6. Fired up from 5-7, Hermie held serve in the 13th game, then Louie unleashed his mighty passing shots to break Francis serve in the following 14th game to stall the second set at 7-all. The rest was all Francis’ show time.
Previously in the first set, Marcial Barro and Rashed of Saudi Divers eased through the challenge of NCB’s Rodan Roque/Serge Ventocillo breaking away at 7-3 before they took the set at 8-4.
NCB’s Alam Chaudry and Milo Balueta, their back against the wall, put up a stumbling block against an impending Saudi Divers sweep into the championship title exchanging toe-to-toe battles of volleys and smash-for-smash against the pair of Allan Beltran and Ed Santiago. The Saudi Divers double, who are bound for promotion to Category B1, overwhelmed Alam and Milo by not giving any slight advantage by keeping ahead throughout the set at 4-1, 5-2, 6-3, 7-4 until the last at 8-5.
The tournament is principally sponsored by Malaysia Airlines, with the following co-sponsors: ALJ-Toyota, SDD First Net, Albilad Hotel, Harrry Hamsden’s Restaurant, Al-Zouman Cargo & Swatch Co., ABS-CBN TFC, and Sports Planet.
Meanwhile, ASTEC (Association of Tennis Clubs in Jeddah), which organized and managed the tournament announced that the following outstanding pair of players would be given special award individually as best double in their respective categories: Category C — Albert Arriesgado and Jojo Aran; Category B2 — Neil Martin and Rolly Macayana; Category B1 — Sonny Manangkil and Adi Banuelos; Category B — Nemie Melencio and Rudy Palustre.
