Johnny Arcilla proved why he is Philippine Tennis Association Men’s Singles Number 2 after defeating Number 3 Francis Casey Alcantara to emerge as the men’s singles champion of the Peugeot Philippines Tennis Open Cebu leg held recently at the Cebu Country Club.
Despite bowing to Alcantara in the first set at 4-6, Arcilla bounced back with a 7-5, 6-4 finish to clinch one of the last few slots of the PPTO National Finals in March.
Meanwhile, Alcantara, who admitted experiencing cramps on his right leg, gained his momentum with doubles partner Marc Norman Enriquez to stop Arcilla and Jon Godfrey Seno from gaining another title. During the deciding set, Alcantara delivered a forehand volley to tie the game at 9-9 before winning the set at 11-9. The Alcantara-Enriquez tandem won the title after a 6-3, 1-6, 11-9 performance.
Cebu’s home-grown talent Hannah Grace Espinosa showed the crowd what she’s made of after beating Maricel Mirabueno for the women’s singles title. Espinosa, who also experienced muscle cramps during the championship match, was able to win two straight sets, 6-3,6-4. Espinosa also participated in the Nueva Ecija leg of PPTO, but she was thwarted in the women’s doubles finals match.
Being the single’s runner-up pushed Mirabueno in her doubles championship match with Bohol-native Floreza Alesna. The duo defeated UST varsity members Ingrid Gonzales and Kendies Thea Malinis with the score of 6-1, 6-1.
“We are overwhelmed with the reception of the PPTO in Cebu. We received the most number of entries so far from this regional qualifying leg. We have one last leg to go before the PPTO Finals and we can’t wait to see the crème de la crème of Philippine tennis clash for bragging rights and a trip to watch the French Open 2016,” Glen Dasig, Peugeot Philippines President, said.
Aside from cash prizes from Peugeot Philippines, co-presenter Smart and Total, and giveaways from tournament sponsor, Wilson, champions of the PPTO Cebu leg will face the other winners of the four (4) other regional qualifying legs in the National Finals to be held in Manila in March 2016.
| Division | Players | Winners | Prizes |
| Men’s Singles | Johnny Arcilla
vs Francis Casey Alcantara |
Johnny Arcilla
(6-4, 7-5, 6-4) |
Php20,000 cash prize;
1 Wilson Juice 100 BLX; Transport & Lodging for National Finals |
| Women’s Singles | Hannah Grace Espinosa
vs MaricelMirabueno |
Hannah Grace Espinosa
(6-3, 6-4) |
Php20,000 cash prize;
1 Wilson Juice 100 BLX; Transport & Lodging for National Finals |
| Men’s Doubles | Francis Casey Alcantara and Marc Norman Enriquez
vs Johnny Arcilla and Jon Godfrey Seno |
Francis Casey Alcantara and Marc Norman Enriquez
(6-3,1-6, 11-9) |
Php 11,000 cash prize (per pair);Transport & Lodging for National Finals |
| Women’s Doubles | MaricelMirabuenoand FlorezaAlesnavs
Ingrid Gonzales and Kendies Thea Malinis |
MaricelMirabueno and FlorezaAlesna
(6-1, 6-1) |
Php 11,000 cash prize (per pair); Transport & Lodging for National Finals |
Registration for the fifth and final qualifying leg to be held in Manila will end on January 25. The PPTO Manila leg will take place on February 1 to 7 at the Valle Verde Country Club.
Filipino tennis players aged 13 and above who are interested in joining the competition simply need to head to the nearest Peugeot dealership,regional representatives or visit the official PPTO 2015 website (http://www.peugeottennis.ph) to download the necessary registration and waiver forms. A fee of Php 500 is required to be paid in full when the players check-in on Day 1 to complete their entry in the tournament.
For other PPTO information, updates and results, players may also visit the tournament’s official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PeugeotPHTennisOpen.