Arabelo, Paculanang best in mixed 3.0

Lemuel Arabelo and Ligaya Paculanang hoisted the championship of the mixed doubles 3.0 division, even as Mayuko Arriola, Karen Ramsey, and Mark Qiu went all the way in their respective divisions last Monday in the 2nd Annual Taga Tennis Tournament.

With the usual showers interrupting matches at the American Memorial Park tennis courts, Arabelo and Paculanang soldiered on and bested the scrappy pair of Manny Jaraplasan and Merle Hudkins in three hard-fought sets.

Arabelo and Paculanang battled the baseline tandem tooth and nail in the first set and prevailed. They, however, were not able to sustain the momentum, as costly unforced errors and strategically placed winners by Jaraplasan and Hudkins forced a third and deciding set.

For a change, rain didn’t cause a lull in the middle set when Jaraplasan swatted the ball at the net that was called overreaching by Arabelo. After both sides consulted the officials’ table, it was decided to just replay the point.

In the third set, Arabelo and Paculanang kicked it up a notch and their aggressiveness paid off in the form of a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 win that secured for them the championship.

In the women’s open, youth netter Mayuko Arriola topped No. 1 seed Letty Jones in two lopsided sets. Arriola’s power was just too much for Jones’ finesse, as the latter surrendered the championship in a score of 6-2, 6-1.

It couldn’t have been more different for Ramsey in his finals encounter with vastly improved Ayumi Cajigan in the women’s 3.0.

Ramsey was all over her opponent in the opening set. But Cajigan was all too willing to return the favor in the second, as the championship went into sudden death. In the third set, Ramsey and Cajigan needed a tiebreak to decide heir match with Ramsey eventually wrapping up the championship, 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3).

Qiu, for his part, was tested to the hilt by fellow newcomer Isagani Cortes in the men’s 2.0. Qiu dominated Cortes in the first set but Cortes edged him on a tiebreak in the second. Losing his first set of the competition put Qiu in a bad mood and he smoked Cortes to win the third set and the division, 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2.

Aside from the four championship matches, four more with finals implications were played Monday evening.

In the men’s open, Peter Loyola sent No. 1 seed Daniel Son home and will now face No. 4 seed Ji Hoon Heo for the championship.

Loyola, who beat third seed Jung Mun Chung in the opening round, was in his element in the first set and won convincingly. Son, however, bounced back from a so-so opening set to make a game of it in the second.

The Korean unleashed his powerful forehand and led 4-3. At that point, both players had protected their serves. Son and Loyola continued the trend in the next four games, which led to Son needing to break Loyola in the 12th game to secure the set and force a third.

The former youth netter came mighty close to achieving that, as he had Loyola on the ropes, leading the Filipino 30-40. But the former collegiate standout won four of the next five points to force a tiebreaker.

In the race-to-seven, Loyola had Son where he wanted him and went up 5-0. But Son battled back to make it 5-4. Son appeared injured when he surrendered a double-fault to Loyola to make it 6-4—with Son serving underhand in his second serve. He, however, seemed just fine the next point, when he blasted a smash for 5-6.

With his opponent nipping at his coattails, Loyola regrouped and set up match point with an off-speed approach shot that Son hit long to end the game 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).

Tinian’s pride Doi Ligan also barged into the finals of the men’s 3.0, where he will face top seed Gary Ramsey, following his 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 win over speedster Raj Rai.

Cris Nelson also earned a ticket to the championship round in the men’s 4.0 after he outplayed Abet Encarnacion, 6-0, 6-4. Nelson will meet Father Ryan Jimenez for all the marbles.

Boyet Minor will face Nanding Cajigan in the men’s 4.5 finale after Cajigan rallied to beat Renato “Dodong” Espanola, 6-7 (0-7), 6-3, 6-1.