Bugna, Liwag share MVP honors in Puerto Princesa

Kathlyn Bugna picked up right where she left off — in winning form — as she swept two titles to match Athena Liwag’s twin victories in the Puerto Princesa National Junior Tennis Championships at the Karawatan-La Paragua Sports Complex in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan over the weekend.

Bugna, who took a well-deserved break after dominating various legs of the Palawan Pawnshop junior circuit in Pasig, Iloilo, Bacolod, Roxas, Kalibo, Lapu-Lapu and Cebu, marked her highly anticipated return by capturing the girls’ 16U 18U singles crowns.

The La Carlota City/Batang Onay ace overpowered Liwag, 6-1, 6-2, in the 16-and-U finals before routing top seed Claire Casiller, 6-1, 6-2, to claim the 18U trophy in the weeklong tournament, part of the Palawan Pawnshop’s nationwide junior tennis circuit.

Meanwhile, registration is ongoing for the Mayor Edwin Olivarez National Open Tennis Championships slated for 6 to 23 November at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque.

Liwag, for her part, got the better of Bugna in the 14U division, taking a 1-0 (ret.) win following a dominant 6-2, 6-0 triumph over Maria Calingasan in the 12U finals. The rising Olongapo City standout thus matched Bugna’s two-title haul to share Most Valuable Player honors.

In the boys’ division, Lipa City’s Rafa Monte de Ramos also shone with victories in both the 16U and 18U categories. He prevailed over Aljhon Rombawa via a 1-0 (ret.) win then blasted Nicholas Andal, 6-2, 6-1, in the centerpiece division of the tournament sanctioned by Philta and supported by Dunlop, Universal Tennis, and ICON Golf and Sports.

Balanga, Bataan’s Cristiano Calingasan ruled the boys’ 14U division with a 6-1, 2-0 (ret.) victory over Enzo Masaga, while Quezon City’s Francis Angeles outlasted Diezel Lerit, 7-5, 6-3, to clinch the 12U crown. Angeles completed a “twinkill” after also bagging the 10U unisex title with a 4-2, 4-1 win over Matias Aguilera.

Bugna and Liwag added doubles titles to their tallies — Bugna teaming up with Sofia Aguilera for the girls’ 18U crown, and Liwag pairing with Teresinha Calingasan to rule the 16U event. Jeffrey Morales Jr. and Kyle Teodisio captured the boys’ 14U doubles plum, while Cristiano Calingasan and Troan Vytiaco took the 18U title.