Go bags first title in PSC-PHILTA age-group championships

FIRST TITLE. Lucas Sebastian Go of Xavier School (right) wins the 8 and under unisex title over Sergius Immanuel Canque in the PSC-PHILTA Age Group Championships at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center on Sunday (Dec. 23, 2018). (Photo by Jean Malanum/PNA)

MANILA — Lucas Sebastian Go defeated Sergius Immanuel Canque, 4-1, 4-0, in the 8 and under unisex final of the Philippine Sports Commission-Philippine Tennis Association (PSC-PHILTA) Age Group Championships at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center on Sunday.

Go, a Grade 3 student at Xavier School, was happy to win his first title this year.

He has been training with National University head coach Karl Santamaria for the past five months.

“I just kept the ball in play,” said the eight-year-old Go, who also joined the Palawan Pawnshop tournaments in Cainta, Valle Verde and Manila Polo Club.

Canque, on the other hand, has played in three tournaments this year. He is a Grade 2 student at La Camille School in Bacoor, Cavite.

In the 10 and under unisex category, No. 1 Kriz Roque Lim of Pangasinan rallied past second seed Jayden Reece Ballado of Nueva Ecija, 2-4, 4-0, 4-2, in the final.

The nine-year-old Lim, a Grade 5 student at Lyceum Northern Luzon in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, won his 15th title this year.

In the boys’ 12-under category, No. 8 Michael Dylan Jimenez stunned fourth seed Joshua Diva, 6-3, 0-6, 6-1, to win the title.

Jimenez toppled third seed Sherwin Ray Nuguit, 6-3, 6-4, while Diva prevailed over Brent So, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (7), in the semifinal.

Diva, a Grade 6 student at Legarda Elementary School in Manila, has won three titles — Olivarez Cup, Zoleta Cup and Palawan Pawnshop Age-Group Championships in Lucena City — this year.

Meanwhile, matches in the 18-under, 16-under and 14-under categories were played at the Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) indoor courts in Paco due to the heavy downpour.