Cesar Quilenderino and Ben Micu JEDDAH — The Blue colors came out as the team to beat in the ongoing HeatWave Challenge Tennis Tournament at the King Abdulaziz University Sports Complex here. Last Friday's matches saw Team Blue outlasting an equally strong Team Red and grabbed 4 out of 5 sets down the stretch in neck-to-neck tennis battles that put the winner on top of team standing. Both opposing pairs, Rick Maulion and Zaldy Gabriel of Team Blue and Yousuf Adriatico and Sherwin Nervais of Team Red started the first set with full force, each pair not budging out from their stonewalling net games that changed the lead 3 times till 3-all. After long rallies, exchanges of passing shots and lobs that went back and forth in average of 10 swings, the Team Blue partners threatened to break away at 6-3, after a back-to-back break-serves in games 7 and 9 and hold-serve in-between. But Team Red's Yousuf Adriatico and Sherwin Nervais refused to be left afar, closely trailing at 5-6, 6-7, then caught up with their opponents at 7-all, afflicting Team Blue's Rick Maulion who was then showing signs of exhaustion and fatigue. In the tiebreak games, Zaldy Gabriel rescued his Team Blue out of collapse by keeping steady with his consistent forehand shots to cling on to their tiebreaker advantage that ended well at 7-4. In the second set, Team Blue's Gary Bautro and Ariel Domingo turned the tables on the tandem of Team Red's Ali Callanta and Fernan Fermin early on with a 4-game winning streak after losing their opening service game to take the lead 4-1. Team Red's Ali Callanta and Fernan Fermin fought back to notch their own string of 4-game winners to regain the lead at 5-4. Thereafter, each pair tugged 2-game winners that made it 7-6. Fernan Fermin of Team Red had the advantage to serve out the match after the set break, but he lost his service game in the 14th game to slip the match into a deciding tiebreaker. Team Blue's Gary Bautro and Ariel Domingo took away the tiebreaker, as well as the match, at 7-1. Team Blue's Mike Amerol and Rolly Saldana started hot in the 3rd set with hold-serve and break-serve games to jump to a 2-0 lead versus Team Red's Mario Betorio and Uly Bartolata, who defiantly responded with their own straight 3-game winners that gave them the lead at 3-2. A long exchange of leads ensued from 3-3 to 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, till 7-all on account of a service game by Mike Amerol that saved his doubles into contention for the tiebreaker. Team Blue's Mike Amerol and Rolly Saldana finally prevailed at the score of 7-5. Team Blue sustained its winning stride in the 4th set doubles with a come-from-behind style by the tandem of Fred Masangkay and CQ Quilenderino, who went through the hard way but clawed their way out from 2-6 deficits at the hands of Team Red's Waymor Carmelotes and Celso Abella. They managed to leave their opponents and left them for good at 6 points, to claim an 8-6 victory. Gilbert Gochuico of Tem Blue managed to break the service game of Team Red's Aman Mencool Usman in the 5th set singles match. But the more experienced Aman Mencool dominated the match with a cool 6-1 victory. This tennis tournament is organized and managed by SPTC, the Samahang Pinoy Tennis Club, with Pol Fernandez as chairman and Ben Micu as tournament director. The Technical Committee is composed of Jun Tomas, Oca Lovitos and Vic Rebong.
