JEDDAH: All but one match went Team Blue’s way, as 4 of their doubles came back into contention down the stretch of separate sweat-drenching tennis battles that saw Team Blue score a 4-1 set victory over Team Red last Friday in the The HeatWave Challenge Tennis Tournament at the King Abdulaziz University Sports Complex on the outskirts of Jeddah.

Rick Maulion and Zaldy Gabriel, playing for Team Blue in the first doubles, set the tone for 4 succeeding pressure-laden doubles matches, marked by long rallies that went 10 exchanges of passing shots and lobs against Team Red’s Yousuf Adriatico -Sherwin Nervais, who held their ground at 3-all.

The Team Red partners threatened to break away at 6-3, after a back-to-back break-serves in games 7 and 9 and hold-serve in-between, but Team Red’s Adriatico-Nervais stepped up their games with aggressive net plays, closely trailing at 5-6, 6-7 then leveled the games at 7-all as Team Blue’s Rick Maulion showing signs of exhaustion and fatigue. In the tiebreak games, Zaldy Gabriel kept steady with his consistent forehand shots to cling to their slim advantage till 6-4.

The 2nd set saw an early exchange of 4-game winning streak between the tandems of Team Blue’s Gary Bautro-Ariel Domingo and that of Team Red’s Ali Callanta-Fernan Fermin. After losing his serves in the opening game to trail early at 0-1, Team Blue’s Gary Bautro with his partner Ariel Domingo rattled in 4 successive points to grab the lead 4-1. Ali Callant and Fernan Fermin refused to buckle down and, instead, notched their own string of 4-game winners to take back the lead at 5-4. Another exchange of 2-game winners ensued; shifting the lead from one protagonist to the other, then took a break after the score of 7-6, with Fernan Fermin to serve out the match upon resumption of play. He lost his service game in the following 14th frame of the match, and his doubles were denied of any chance to fight back in the tiebreaker, as their opponents Team Blue’s Gary Bautro/Ariel Domingo took away the match at 7-1 after the last serve.

An equally action-filled tennis match unraveled in the 3rd set doubles between Team Blue’s Mike Amerol/Rolly Saldana and Team Red’s Mario Betorio and Uly Bartolata, who started hot with hold-serve and break-serve games to jumpstart a 2-0 lead. Mike Amerol and Rolly responded with a straight 3-game boaster wins to take over a 3-2 lead that triggered a start of long exchange of leads from 3-3 by Team Red’s Mario Betorio/Uly Bartolata, then 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, till 7-all after a pressure-packed service game of Mike Amerol that brought them to a tiebreaker game. Finally, the tiebreaker went to Team Blue’s Mike Amerol/Rolly Saldana score at 7-5.

Team Blue sustained its winning stride in the 4th set doubles with a come-from-behind style by the tandem of Fred Masangkay and CQ Quilenderino, who clawed their way out from staggering 2-6 deficits in the hands of Team Red’s Waymor Carmelotes-Celso Abella, and defeated their opponents who were stacked at 6 points, to claim an 8-6 victory.

Team Red’s Aman Mencool Usman hammered out an easy 6-1 victory over Team Blue’s Gilbert Gochuico in the 5th set. Aman did the demolition job over the games of Gilbert, with only a broken service game lost in the 5th game.

This tennis tournament is organized by SPTC, the Samahang Pinoy Tennis Club, with Pol Fernandez as Chairman and Ben Micu as Tournament Director.

The Technical Committee is composed of Jun Tomas, Oca Lovitos and Vic Rebong.