Bi±an City: Julio Naredo of Quezon City aims for another successful campaign in the Fortheo Cup National Junior Tennis Championships which kicks off Thursday at the South City Recreational Sports Center courts in Bi±an City, Laguna.
According to Philippines News Agency, Naredo earned the Most Valuable Player award in the Fortheo Cup leg in Valenzuela City last week for dominating the boys' U16 and U18 categories. He demolished Ole Paulsen, 6-0, 6-0, in the U16 final before pulling off a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Reden Escultor Jr. in their U18 title showdown.
In the Laguna leg, Naredo is the No. 3 seed in the U16 category behind No. 1 Rafa Monte de Ramos and No. 2 Karl Almiron. Also competing are Jacob Gonzales, Kenji Kue, Felizardo Lota III, Javier Roque, and Raphael Wong.
Kue and Gonzales are also entered in the U14 category along with top seed Matteo Calingasan, Caleb Villeno, Dean Palaroan, Mattias Go, Vivaan Garg, and Noel Zoleta. Villeno, the U12 top seed, will face a strong challenge from Gabriel Vitaliano, Raven Licayan, Joaquin Dacyon, Carl Batallones, Rafael Cablitas, Jacob Dizon, and Zoleta.
The centerpiece U18 features siblings Frank and France Dilao, and top-ranked juniors Antonio Ng, Jr., Tristan Licayan, Gavin Kraut, Jonathan High, Juan Carlos Pabillore, and Jaime Reyes.
Meanwhile, the girls' division of the grassroots tennis development program supported by Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro will be held next week. Players may contact tournament director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464 for details and registration.
