JEDDAH: Team Black got out of the hole and staged an uphill battle in the six doubles matchups during the 1st phase of the 3rd round of the “Beat the Heat” Tennis Tournament at King Abdulaziz University sports complex last Friday.
Their front line-up of four doubles came out in succession and faced off the daunting threat of defeat from Team White by overhauling an 87-103 overall points team deficit to creep within one point at 109-110 overall after the 4th set.
Team Black’s top-ranked doubles, Fred Masangkay and Boy Isuga, led from the front to beat Team White’s Norwin Catipay and Celso Abella 8-4 v in the first doubles under category B2+ at the start of the round. Norwin Catipay and Celso Abella initially took the lead for White at 2-1 after breaking Black’s serves in the 1st and 3rd games, with one lost-serve of their own in-between. From 2-3, the Black tandem of Fred Masangkay-Boy unloaded a stifling burst of serve and volley drives to close out the 1st set 8-4.
Reviving Team Black, Roy Timtiman-Julius Garcia hammered out another fine 8-4 win victory in the 2nd set, overpowering White’s Leo Maranion-Mark Anthony Banaag at 3-1 and 6-3 leads and pounding on every short slow ball from their opponents before finally winning at 8-4. Team Black’s category B2 doubles repeatedly won 8-4 against the White’s pair in 2 of 3, matches with Team White won, 8-6 in the previous 2nd match.
Bernie Soguilon and Pol Fernandez shrugged off a sluggish start in the 3rd doubles and rose from 0-2 deficit in the 3rd match of the day, a rescheduled match of category B2 from Round 1.The Black doubles team scattered forehand winners that kept the attacking Team White’s pair, Cesar Quilenderino and Gary Bautro, stranded behind the net most of the time, to chalk up another 8-4 win for Bllack after leading at 4-2 and 7-3.
Ali Callanta and Arnold Tambalo perked up Team Black when, in the 4th set, they came from 1-2 behind to grab leads of 6-2 and 7-4 and master Team White’s Nasser “the Chef” Cayquep and Zaldy Gabriel for the 2nd time in their 3 matches with 8-5 victory, cutting White’s lead to just only one at 109-110, and putting Team Black back on track in the dual team competition.
Unbeaten White tandem of JM Bravo and Hajji Pilongo proved their mastery over Team Black’s Nilo Gamba and Yusuff Adriatico under category C in the 5th set, by taking grip on 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3 leads before finishing off at 8-3 to ward off the Team Black from barging up front and pushed them back 6 points behind at 128-122 overall.
White’s Fernan Fermin-Clark Maldo capped the day’s 6th and last doubles against Black’s Ariel Domingo-Pierre Abou Toumo with a grueling match under category C that saw both pairs refuse to wilt under pressure. From 2-all, the match dragged to 4 more ties, till the score stood at 7-all for a tiebreaker.
White came through in the tiebreaker, ending at 7-5, to stay on top and peg the overall score at 136-129 over Black.
Their front line-up of four doubles came out in succession and faced off the daunting threat of defeat from Team White by overhauling an 87-103 overall points team deficit to creep within one point at 109-110 overall after the 4th set.
Team Black’s top-ranked doubles, Fred Masangkay and Boy Isuga, led from the front to beat Team White’s Norwin Catipay and Celso Abella 8-4 v in the first doubles under category B2+ at the start of the round. Norwin Catipay and Celso Abella initially took the lead for White at 2-1 after breaking Black’s serves in the 1st and 3rd games, with one lost-serve of their own in-between. From 2-3, the Black tandem of Fred Masangkay-Boy unloaded a stifling burst of serve and volley drives to close out the 1st set 8-4.
Reviving Team Black, Roy Timtiman-Julius Garcia hammered out another fine 8-4 win victory in the 2nd set, overpowering White’s Leo Maranion-Mark Anthony Banaag at 3-1 and 6-3 leads and pounding on every short slow ball from their opponents before finally winning at 8-4. Team Black’s category B2 doubles repeatedly won 8-4 against the White’s pair in 2 of 3, matches with Team White won, 8-6 in the previous 2nd match.
Bernie Soguilon and Pol Fernandez shrugged off a sluggish start in the 3rd doubles and rose from 0-2 deficit in the 3rd match of the day, a rescheduled match of category B2 from Round 1.The Black doubles team scattered forehand winners that kept the attacking Team White’s pair, Cesar Quilenderino and Gary Bautro, stranded behind the net most of the time, to chalk up another 8-4 win for Bllack after leading at 4-2 and 7-3.
Ali Callanta and Arnold Tambalo perked up Team Black when, in the 4th set, they came from 1-2 behind to grab leads of 6-2 and 7-4 and master Team White’s Nasser “the Chef” Cayquep and Zaldy Gabriel for the 2nd time in their 3 matches with 8-5 victory, cutting White’s lead to just only one at 109-110, and putting Team Black back on track in the dual team competition.
Unbeaten White tandem of JM Bravo and Hajji Pilongo proved their mastery over Team Black’s Nilo Gamba and Yusuff Adriatico under category C in the 5th set, by taking grip on 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3 leads before finishing off at 8-3 to ward off the Team Black from barging up front and pushed them back 6 points behind at 128-122 overall.
White’s Fernan Fermin-Clark Maldo capped the day’s 6th and last doubles against Black’s Ariel Domingo-Pierre Abou Toumo with a grueling match under category C that saw both pairs refuse to wilt under pressure. From 2-all, the match dragged to 4 more ties, till the score stood at 7-all for a tiebreaker.
White came through in the tiebreaker, ending at 7-5, to stay on top and peg the overall score at 136-129 over Black.
