Michael Castro beat Alvin Guirey, 6-1 6-2 in their semifinal encounter last Saturday and booked himself into the final 2 of the Mens Class A category. Mike took control of the 1st set with his blazing forehand allowing Alvin to hold serve only once. Alvin started well in the 2nd set leading at 2-0 when he broke Mike's serve for the 1st time. But Mike broke back immediately in the 3rd game and from then on, he never looked back. Mike awaits the winner of the 2nd semifinal match between Ariel Picones and Rex Bonicillo which will be played on Tuesday.
Pearl Ballarta scored an upset against Catherine Castillo in their Ladies semifinal clash last Sunday when a leg cramps got the better of Cato and was forced to retire after nearly 2 hours of gruelling rallies. Cato took the 1st set 6-3 but Pearl is in command in the 2nd with a break up at 4-3 and serving at 30-15 when a muscle contraction brought Cato crumpling down onto the ground. The limping Cato then decided not to continue. The final score, 3-6 4-3 to Pearl. In the other semifinal, Joy Curva pushed Amii Hernandez to 3rd set after recovering from set down taking the 2nd set at 6-4. Amii took the 1st set at 6-2. Joy leads Amii 3-1 in the third when the play was suspended. The match will resume on Thursday.
Allan Quiaoit advanced to the Mens Class B finals beating Abraham Rondon in straight sets. It was a toe-to-toe battle in the 1st set until Allan got a decisive break of serve and took the lead at 5-4. He then served and closed out the 1st set with a forehand passing shot (ganun nga ba?). Abraham, "visibly shaken", starts to fall apart in the 2nd set with unforced errors coming out while Allan continues to dominate with his precision and good shot selection. Abraham managed to take 1 game in the 2nd set. The final score, 6-4 6-1 to Allan. Allan will face Sofio Maderazo in the finals. Mader won the ticket to finals after surviving Jeffrey Sobredilla in 3 tight sets. After splitting the first 2 sets, it was a battle of wills in the 3rd set when both players were depleted after playing for more than 2 hours. With extra air, Mader came through with the victory. The final score 6-3 5-7 6-4 to Mader.