Keeping a commitment to promote a healthy lifestyle through the sport of tennis, and continuously offering a platform for competitive events for its members, the Saudia City Tennis Club (SCTC) successfully launched the awaited Midyear Tennis Tournament 2014 over the weekend at the club courts here.

Tournament format in the regular category division is single round-robin/eight games league doubles matches for B+, B1, B2, & C categories which attracted 100 entries among club members. Highlighting the five-weeks long tennis tournament is the advance category division featuring participation of eight class A2 players from Jeddah & Makkah offering high quality matches.

At stake are handsome trophies and cash prizes for all winners, plus the coveted singles title for the advance category to be contested via the same single round robin-eight games league format-singles matches, that are attracting tennis buffs during weekends at Saudia City.

The tournament opening day featured exciting high-wire action matches in the advanced category division, in which a much-younger Aris Feliciano humbled veteran Rico Gregorio 8-1 in a “battle of ages” and newcomer Ariel Baguidnon surprised favored Jonathan Tenorio in an 8-3 thrashing. In a match that featured a protégé against his mentor, Delson Autentico prevailed over former coach Ricardo Ouano Jr. in a hotly-contested match at 8-6, while a steadier Elias Mangca humbled popular Gio Morte 8-3.

In the higher B category doubles encounters, the pairs of Kim Sung-Von Daligdig, Boy Urquia-Ernie Capito, and Sol Bartolome-Nilo Supelana swept past their first round opponents. At B2 Category, the dominant pairs of Rhoda Bangit-Meynard Logan and Rowell Cuasay-Jun Ampatuan stamped their class, nailing victories in intense & close matches, with the latter winning on an exciting tiebreaker.

Leading pairs to watch in the C category are Ed Quiambao-Dan Mangulabnan, Michelle Yangson-Orven Jimenez, and Archie Pichay-Ghie Asmiralde doubles teams.

Organized by the Saudia City Tennis Club (SCTC), under the aegis of Chairman Rowell Cuasay, this tennis event is supported by Pepsi – Aquafina and Saudia Airlines Catering as co-sponsors. Other SCTC officers behind this event are: Benny Espina (vice-chairman), Edwin Andres (treasurer), Jess Batingal (auditor) Froilan Lim and Von Daligdig (program directors), Song Pineda, Mel Fiesta, and Munib Usman (property custodians), Tata Amor, Ernesto Capito and Henry Siazon (tournament directors); Froilan Malapad (chair umpire for A2 Category).