With a record number of participants, the Mayor Eric Olivarez National Junior Tennis Championships begin today with 416 entries competing for top honors and ranking points across nine age categories at the Olivarez Sports Center and Parañaque courts in Sucat.

To accommodate the large number of entries from all over, organizers have transformed the Group 1 tournament presented by Dunlop to a two-week event, highlighting the strong response to the Palawan Pawnshop nationwide tennis program.

The tournament features four boys’ age divisions (12U, 14U, 16U and 18U) with 64-player fields, while the 10-and-under unisex and the four girls’ categories have 32-player draws each.

The first batch of matches will play through June 9, with the second scheduled for 13 to 16 June at both venues.

“This is the biggest gathering of junior players, necessitating a two-week format,” said Bobby Mangunay, tournament director of the PPS-PEPP program initiated by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Highlighting the two-week tennis festival is the Open men’s singles and doubles, set for 8 to 16 June at the Olivarez Sports Center. The Legends men’s doubles, featuring various age divisions (30s, 40s, 50s and 60s), and the women’s doubles for 35s and 45s age categories are slated for June 7-9 and 14-16, also at the OSC.

Collegiate players will also showcase their skills in the men’s and women’s singles and doubles from 6 to 9 June and 13 to 16 June at both courts.

The Classified individual and team events, which began last weekend, will resume on 15 to 16 June at the PTC.