Black dominates White to win ‘Beat the Heat’ tennis crown

Champion team Black with team captain and tournament director Waymor Carmelotes, left, second row. (AN photos)

Tournament umpires, from left, Ali Callanta, Yusuff Adriatico, Roman Alcantara, Ariel Domingo, Mashur Jamili, and Mario Betorio.

JEDDAH: Team Black beat the lights out of Team White with a devastating finish that left the losing team reeling in the middle of the 3rd and final round of their tennis dual meet at the Abdulaziz University sports complex last Friday.
The tournament abandoned the last and 5th doubles under category B2 after Waymor Carmelotes-Roman Alcantara of Team Black took control of the game after rallying from behind at 0-2 and 1-3 to beat Team White’s Marlon Pagsanjan-Mario Betrorio at 3 points and finish them off at the boundary of 5 wins more before the start of their 5th matchup.
Team Black ended up with unassailable 165 points total in the tournament to Team White’s 159. White could only reach 164 maximum with a sweep of the next 5 games.
Mashur Jamiri and Ariel Domingo started the day for Team Black in the 1st doubles of category C, against Team White’s Eman Usman-Sherwin Nervais, stayed through thick and thin with a spirited comeback games at 0-2, 2-4, and the cliffhanger 4-7 before losing a close 7-8 tiebreaker resulting in an 8-7 win for the White’s doubles in the 1st set.
Team Black’s Oca Lovitos and Cizzner Carascal similarly scraped through in the 2nd doubles, to level up at 1-1, 2-2, 4-4 before getting past Team White’s Mike Amerol and Rolly Saldana to the 6-4 and 7-6 leads until the tiebreaker, which ended 8-6 for Black to win the set 8-7, reversing the one-point loss in the previous set.
The 3rd set saw Bernie Soguilon and Pol Fernandez of Team Black chalk up their best win of the tournament with penetrating baseline drives past CQ Quilenderino and Gary Bautro that dealt a blow to White’s bid for the title while giving Black the biggest cushion at 8-1 finish of the 3rd doubles. They allowed only one service game of Team White’s CQ Quilenderino in the 7th game and bagged all other serves in the 3rd set.
Pierre Abou Toumo and Allan Mabini of Team Black came up with their biggest win in the tournament, 8-4 in the 4th set over Team White doubles of Fernan Fermin and Clark Maldo. Toumo and Mabini canceled out the enemy leads of 1-0 and 2-1 to move ahead at 5-2, 7-3 before sealing victory at 8-4.
The “Beat the Heat” Tennis Tournament is organized by the club officers of SPTC, which is led by Ariel Domingo as chairman. Team White is managed by Marlon Pagsanjan, while Team Black is captained by Waymor Carmelotes.