Under the bright lights of the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center, AJ Lim didn’t just win a title — he reaffirmed his place atop Philippine tennis.

Drawing on grit forged through injuries and illness, Lim outlasted perennial rival Eric Jed Olivarez, 6-3, 7-5, to capture the Philta Men’s Masters Top 8 crown Sunday night and reassert his status as the country’s premier player.

The P160,000 winner’s purse was a fitting reward. But more significant was the statement victory — his nth triumph over Olivarez in Open finals — underscoring a mastery that has defined their rivalry and reminding everyone that when healthy, Lim remains the man to beat.

For the 26-year-old, the win symbolized a full-circle comeback. Once sidelined by health setbacks that stalled his momentum, Lim has painstakingly rebuilt his game and confidence. Under the pressure of primetime play, with every point amplified by the night air and the glare of the lights, he showed the composure and steel that once made him the youngest PCA Open champion at 16 in 2015.

The opening frame set the tone for a duel worthy of the spotlight.

Lim stormed to a 3-0 lead, only for Olivarez to claw back with three straight games of his own. But just when the momentum appeared to shift, Lim raised his level. He held serve in the seventh game, then broke Olivarez after a tense deuce battle in the eighth before sealing the set with a love hold — a finishing kick that spoke volumes about his resolve.

The second set was even tighter — a back-and-forth chess match that could have swung either way.

They traded serves through the first 10 games, highlighted by a gripping fourth-game exchange that stretched deep into deuce before Lim narrowly escaped to hold. Neither player blinked, each probing for cracks, each refusing to yield ground.