JEDDAH: Heated battle continued to rage in final phase of the 18th Astec Team Tennis Tournament Ladies Division at the Jeddah International School during the weekend with unexpected finalists claiming championship plums.
Tension may spell the difference in the finals of any sports event and this may cost the match, as was manifested in the finals of Category C between FAME (Filipino Achievers in the Middle East) and JISTC (Jeddah International School Tennis Club).
Weng Valencia and Sally Rosal of JISTC surged ahead 7-2 in the first set against Helen Faber and Mia. FAME positioned its strongest pair in the middle set, Levi Apacionado and Raelyn Licyayo. The strategy paid off as the tandem demolished JISTC’s Edma Ladion and Racquel, 8-1, to force a third and deciding set.
Bing Cabuquin and Radz Ijiran of JISTC briefly held the advantage at 4-2 only for Fame’s Hazel and Barbie to easily tie. Up at 7-6 and serving for the match, Bing’s service game was broken to bring the match to a tie-breaker. It was an action-filled game as match points changed hands, which finally ended in the longest finals tie-breaker at 8-7 (9-7) in favor of the new champions FAME. It was a sweet victory for FAME after languishing in the cellar the past years and many were surprised by the vast improvement shown by its players during the elimination rounds and in the finals.
In the Higher Mix Category, SCTC-Sarawat’s first-set tandem of Sheila Harris and Yeye Balde broke the serve of Miles Carmina, after five deuces in the first game. That breakthrough gave them confidence to take a 5-0 advantage. Miles and Joy de Mesa of JIS took the next two games but Sheila and Yeye put a stop to the recovery to take a huge advantage at 7-2 and finally closed the set 8-4.
Sarawat’s pair of Dang Bangit and Joy Castillo had a rough ride in the second set when Donna Morte and Dodie Villanueva of JISTC took three straight games to lead briefly at 3-1, which was followed by a see-saw encounter to force the set into a tiebreak. A make or break for both pairs, the tiebreak went on record as the longest fought in Ladies Division.
In the end it became a very exciting exchange of power shots that brought the house down until the better pair of Sarawat’s Dang and Joy closed the set and the match at tie break points of 8-7 (11-9), and the championship plum in Higher Mix Category.
In the Super Mix — B category, unbeaten Group I frontrunner Pepso team’s Annie Amor and Ernie Hayahay easily took the first set 8-2. Dang and Ronnie Santos controlled the game in the second set to seal the match and the championship trophy in straight sets.
In the other new team category experimented by ASTEC, newly-formed tennis Club Smash Magic claimed the top awards by beating JISTC-Edma in straight sets.
Magic’s first pair of Armand Bucad and Lorna Lladones brushed aside the power game of Winston Tadeo and Sally Rosal. Winston committed many unforced errors in his attempt to cover the court for his partner while their opponents played steady to claim the first set 8-1. In the second set and hoping to equalize the match, JIS tandem of Glenn Plaza and Racquel Madrelejo held advantage at 5-3 and 6-5, but lost steam in the ensuing games to bring the set to a tiebreak, which was eventually won by Magic’s Eugene Cagadas and Donna Cuevas 8-7 (7-4) for the championship in Super Mix-A.
This tournament, organized by ASTEC — the Association of Tennis Clubs in Jeddah and the third major tournament by ASTEC for the year 2009, was co-sponsored by M. A. Al Samman Est., Sky Freight Forwarders, Bison, and The Filipino Channel.
