By Cesar Q. Quilenderino

JEDDAH — Team C, the cellar-dweller during the round-robin step-ladder competition, stepped-up their giant-killing run by toppling another higher ranked opponent, the Team B, taking down their opponents in the first-of-two doubles in their 2nd and last phase of their championship battle last Friday at the sports complex of King Abdulaziz University.

Their first doubles, under category B2+/B2, recorded an 8-4 win to pile up a total championship points of 32 — thereby giving Team C the outright champions title, for Team B could only get a 24 maximum – assuming Team B wins the next doubles match-up with a sweeping score of 8-0. The 2nd doubles proceeded due to the performance appraisal to be undertaken by the organizer for distinct awards such as Best Doubles in their respective category.

Team C’s Rolly Saldana and Romeo Dilla broke the service game of Team B’s Leo Milarion and Mark Banaag through a sudden-death deuce game. Then Dilla won his serve 40-30 for Team C’s 2-0 early lead, followed by another break-serve against Team B’s Milarion at 30-40 to stretch their lead 3-0. Team C’s Saldana then lost serve in the 4th frame at 30-40, and Team B’s Banaag held serve at 40-15 to come within striking distance of 2-3.

Saldana and Dilla seized command in the 6th, 7th, and 8th games, to rack up 3 consecutive points to break away for Team C’s 6-2 lead. The next four games saw each player winning his service game, with Banaag winning serve in the 9th frame 40-30 to cut the set points at 3-6, Dilla too winning 40-30 in the 10th to make it 7-3, and then Milarion won his serve 40-15 marking the last gasp of Team B at 4-7. Saldana thensealed the win, holding serve in the 12th for a 8-4 score for Team C.

In the next match, under category B1/B2+, Team B’s Marlon Pagsanjan and Waymor Carmelotes got a consolation in grabbing the set 8-3. But, team championship points no longer counted at this point, except for the pair’s scores and points that would be taken into account for the selection of Best Doubles in every category.

Pagsanjan and Carmelotes went ahead early in the game after losing the 1st game of the last set and winning a sudden-death deuce in the 3rd frame to lead 4-1 against Team C’s Celso Abella/Norwin Catipay. Carmelotes lost his service game with 15-40 scores in the 6th, and Catipay won his serve in the 7th in hard-fought sudden-death deuce to cut Team C’s deficit into 3-4. Thereafter, all the games were under control of the Team B doubles, including three more sudden-death deuces — one went to close out the match 8-3 for Pagsanjan/ Carmelotes.

This tournament is organized and managed by the Samahang Pinoy Tennis Club of Jeddah, with the following club officers: Ariel Domingo - chairman, Roy Timtiman - vice chairman for internal affairs, Mario Betorio - vice chairman for external affairs, Jun Tomas - vice chairman for membership development, Leo Milarion – secretary, JM Bravo – treasurer, Fernan Fermin – auditor, Mashur Jamiri - press relation director, Mark Banaag - business manager, Waymor Carmelotes - tournament director. Technical Committee arbiters during SPTC tournaments and games: Roman Alcantara – deputy director, Nasser Cayquep – deputy director, and committee members - Zaldy Gabriel, Eman Usman, Yusuf Adriatico, Allan Mabini, Rolly Saldana, Nilo Gamba, and Vic Rebong.

Honorary Officers: Pol Fernandez, Gary Bautro, Marlon Pagsanjan, Ali Callanta, Cesar Pabico, Rading Bautista, and Corly Obtinalla.

This tournament has been supported by TFC, a TV channel named True Filipino Channel that gave away sport T-shirts for the tournament players, club members, as well as the guests and visitors.