Ballado secures twin titles in Olongapo tennis tourney

MANILA – Jayden Reece Ballado fought hard in the third set to pull off a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (2) victory over Jan Cadee Dagoon in the girls U16 final of the Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr. National Junior Tennis Championships at the Olongapo Tennis Club over the weekend.

Ballado also won the U18 doubles title with Shiloh Cruz, beating Dagoon and Athena Zhia Liwag, 8-5, in the final.

“I would say that I’m happy and I’m proud especially with how I fought because I was able to prove myself that I could still fight. I didn’t care about winning because I remembered the promises I made to myself. I just focused on the important things that I can control,” said the 15-year-old Ballado in an interview on Monday.

Despite trailing 1-5 in the third set, she never gave up and managed to tie the score at 5-all.

“I was actually shocked that I got the third set. I thought I was going to lose, but when I saw those who supported me or cheered me on, I saw that they still did not lose hope in me. I realized that I’m not the only one fighting. So I said to myself, ‘just one by one, just increase your score a little, it’s okay’,” said the Grade 10 student at Muñoz National High School.

“I was in between giving up and fighting but I chose to fight because I didn’t want to have any regrets. I put all my trust in the Lord, because He already knows what’s on the other side of it,” added Ballado, who lost to Dagoon, 3-6, 3-6, in the U18 final.

Ballado, who won nine U16 singles titles last year, will join the Junior Billie Jean King Cup in Malaysia next month, along with Jana Jelena Diaz and Erynne Francesca Ong. Former national player and now ITF Level 3 coach Czarina Mae Arevalo will accompany them.

Meanwhile, Shaner Gabaldon and Jairus Peralta bagged two titles each in the nationwide talent search spearheaded by Palawan Pawnshop president and chief executive officer Bobby Castro.

Gabaldon defeated Liwag, 6-3, 6-1, in the girls U12 final and in the U14 final with the same score.

Peralta, on the other hand, outplayed Yuan Torrente, 7-6(4), 6-4, in the boys U12 and annexed the U14 title after turning back Jairo Flores, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4.

In other singles final results, Troan Vytiaco outlasted Anthony Cosca, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 (boys U16), Ariel Cabral trounced Frank Dilao, 6-3, 6-3 (boys U18) and Maximus Calingasan triumphed over Kirk Gonzaga, 4-0, 2-4, 4-1 (unisex U10).

Champions in the doubles were Frank and France Dilao (boys U18), Isabel Otaiza and Liwag (girls U14), Cosca and Flores (boys U14), and Calingasan and Gonzaga (unisex U10). — Jean Malanum  (PNA)