The top category doubles match: (L-R) Pol Hernandez (umpire), Team Blue - CQ Quilenderino & Fred Masangkay; Team Green - Romy Sorra and Norwin Catipay (Best Doubles awardees). Sitting in center is Ben Micu (tournament director). Cesar Quilenderino and Ben Micu
JEDDAH — Mike Amerol and Rolly Saldana came out the neutralizers who brought their Team Blue level at 1-1 set versus Team Green's Roy Timtiman and Nep Rosco at the end of their match in the 2nd set of the ongoing championship games at the Albilad Hotel tennis courts last Friday. After the 1st set loss of their teammates Fred Masangkay and CQ Quilenderino, who succumbed to a 5-8 defeat at the hands of Team Green's Romy Sorra and Norwin Catipay, the Blue team's 2nd set doubles partners Amerol and Saldana picked up momentum after losing the first 2 games of the 2nd set against Timtiman and Rosco of Team Green. Down 0-2, they grooved into their rhythm to rack up winners from games 3 through 6 by successfully holding their serves twice and breaking their opponents twice to take over the lead at 4-2. The Blue's pair hung on to their lead at 5-3 and 6-4, then broke serves against Green's Rosco in the 11th game followed by successful holding their own serves to end the 2nd set 8-4, and thereby keeping their team level at 1-1 against Team Green. Gilbert Gochuico delivered the pivotal win in the 3rd set singles for the Blues and capped his stunning run of victories in the tournament with a surprise 6-0 whitewash against Ben Hasim of Team Green. The Blue's singles player bailed the team out in the 3rd set, holding all his serves and critically breaking Hasim's serve twice that ended in sudden-death serves in accordance to the rules of the tournament. A tension-filled battle ensued in the 4th set as the Green's tandem of Jun Tomas and Hajji Pilongo turned the tables on the Blue's pair of Rick Maulion and Zaldy Gabriel. With victory already staring at them on top of a huge lead at 7-3, Blue's Maulion and Gabriel lost their chance to nail the service game of Jun Tomas in the 11th game, which were extended to a pressure-laden sudden death serve. In the 12th game, Team Blue's Gabriel had the chance to close out the match, but Green's Tomas and Pilongo defied the pressure and forced another sudden death service game, which was won by the Green pair to draw closer to their opponent at 5-7. Pilongo served out the next game, the 13th, which went into his Team Green's favor after an easy 40-15 score. The 14th game saw Blue team's Maulion show signs of fatigue and allowing the set to settle for a tiebreak game. Team Green's Jun Tomas and Pilongo completed their comeback victory trail with a 7-3 tiebreak win to level their team at 2-2 sets against Team Blue. In the deciding 5th set, Team Blue's Gary Bautro and Ariel Domingo started slowly and fell 0-2 games behind Green's Mashur Jamiri and Clark Maldo. Bautro won his serve in the 3rd game for 1-2, but Jamiri held his serve in the next game to increase Green's lead to 3-1. Then, Bautro and Domingo helped Blue overtake the lead at 4-3. Green's Jamiri leveled the scores 4-4 with an easy 40-15 game. The Blue pair surged again for another winning hold-break-hold serves in games No. 9, No. 10, and No. 11 to post another wide lead at 7-4 and put them within striking distance to victory. But Green's Jamiri and Maldo refused to wilt under pressure to close the gap to 6-7. Green's Maldo serves went into a climactic sudden-death after a deuce game was saved by the Blue pair, and Domingo put the match to rest at 8-6 and the tournament to end when he received and delivered the winning return from the last serve of Green's Maldo.
