The country’s top tennis players and promising talents gather for the Dagitab Festival National Open Tennis Championships which kicked off Sunday at the City of Naga courts.

Leading the charge in the men’s singles are top seed Eric Jed Olivarez and veteran Johnny Arcilla, both aiming for the coveted title in this season-ending Open tournament.

Olivarez, coming off a victory in a recent Open tournament, opens his bid against Miecoz Candelasa, while Arcilla tests his mettle against Hans Cabellon.

In a draw packed with talent, third seed Vicente Anasta takes on Chad Cuizon, No. 4 Fritz Verdad meets Carl Miasco, and fifth-seeded John Benedict Aguilar squares off with John Kenneth Jumamoy. Rounding out the featured matches are No. 6 Noel Salupado against Kennex Abadia, No. 7 Jude Ceniza challenging John David Velez and eighth seed John Jeric Accion facing Nicholas Ocat.

To accommodate a strong turnout of entries, organizers staged a one-day qualifier, where Nicholas Ocat, Cyril Paster, John Kenneth Jumamoy and Carl Miasco secured the final slots in the 32-player main draw.

Olivarez, who fell short against absentee Josshua Kinaadman in last year’s edition, eyes redemption.

However, with multi-titled Arcilla back in the fray and a competitive field of rising stars, the tournament promises high-intensity matchups throughout the week-long event.

In the Open doubles category, the duo of Fritz Verdad and Rolly Saga clinched the top seeding, with Olivarez and Anasta following closely at second seed. Also posing a challenge are the pairs of Arcilla/Ronard Joven and Ceniza/Elvin Geluz.