JEDDAH: Focused and seemingly energized, Team Orange engaged opponent Team Blue in an intense exchange of tennis baseline shots and lobs in a 4-0 victory that knocked powerhouse Team Blue from the top of the teams standings during last Friday’s action in The HeatWave Challenge Tennis Tournament at the King Abdulaziz University Sports Complex on the outskirts of Jeddah.

One more doubles match was re-scheduled to play later in a couple of days.

Bernie Soguilon and Choy Argarin started the firepower plays for Team Orange in a toe-to-toe battle of passing shots and half-volley games on midcourt that took their scores leveled 5 times at 3-3, till 7-7 and trailed Team Blue’s Mike and Rolly Saldana from 3-4 deficit down the stretch at 6-7, to settle the game on tiebreak. They sustained their forehand drives with attacking net plays to finish off the tiebreaker at 7-3 and took the first set victory of the day.

Nasser Cayquep picked up where his Team Orange teammates left off against the more experienced Gary Bautro of Team Blue in a grueling singles match in the second set that saw his lead of 3-2 overtaken and threatened at 5-3 by Gary who was set to serve for the match in the following service game. Cayquep broke Gary’s serves on that 9th game to force a tiebreak that ended in his control at 7-2.

Another match went beyond regulation period in the third set pitting the top category doubles pair of Bhoy Isuga-Oca Lovitos of Team Orange and Fred Masangkay and CQ Quilenderino of Team Blue, who started with their normal catch-up plays and ended on pressure games in the last stretch of the match. Blue’s Fred and CQ ran up games from behind, from 1-3 and 3-5 deficits, then held serves twice with break-serve in-between, to start taking control at 6-5 – ready for the end game. But his time around, Bhoy and Oca turned the tables on the Blue pair, passing them at 5-6 and 6-7 to nail them down at 7-all for a deciding tiebreak that went their way giving Team Orange a score of straight 3 sets to none against its opponents.

The fourth set reeled off tightly from the 1st to 4th games, with Lito Bentulan-Roman Alcantara of Orange holding their serves and Blue’s Rik Maulion-Zaldy Gabriel doing the same – both teams at 2-2 level. Roman held serve in the 5th game to push his doubles for 3-2 lead. The Orange team stayed consistent in their baseline rallies toward the tiring Rik Maulion that caused him to lose his service games twice in the following 5 games, which they bagged in succession for an 8-2 finish.

This tennis tournament is organized by SPTC, with Ben Micu as tournament director. The other officers of the club are Roy Timtiman, vice-chairman for Internal Affairs, and Lito Bentulan, vice-chairman for External Affairs. Making up the Technical Committee are Jun Tomas, Oca Lovitos, and Vic Rebong.

This in-house tournament is financed by the club, with individual donors such as Bernie Soguilon, who provided the tennis balls, and others who provided funds for the foods and snacks.