The top guns of the Palawan Open 2026 unleashed an overwhelming display of power and resolve during Sunday's kickoff, dismantling their unfancied rivals to signal a ruthless start to the blue-ribbon event at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
Bannering the heavy-handed onslaught was top seed Digvijay Pratap Singh of India, who barely worked up a sweat in dispatching local challenger Ethan Cablitas with a solid 6-0, 6-0 shutout. The ATP-ranked star advanced effortlessly to the second round against Jeremiah Latorre, who moved on following a 7-5, 1-0 (ret.) victory over Kian Sanchez.
Matching Singh's clinical precision in the lower half of the 64-player draw, No. 2 seed Alberto "AJ" Lim Jr. likewise served notice of his title aspirations. The local favorite dominated Adrian Cagitlan with his own commanding shutout victory.
Third-ranked Eric Jed Olivarez, coming off a stellar quarterfinal run in China, dropped only two games in a 6-1, 6-1 dismantling of Raphael Villanueva. Meanwhile, fourth seed Christopher Papa of the United States effortlessly advanced to the next round via a walkover win over Isaac Lim.
The foreign contingent continued to flash their supreme form and elite pedigree, looming as dangerous spoilers capable of spoiling the local aces' championship ambitions. Fifth-seeded Aggarwal Parth of India left Joshua Ferrer clueless in another 6-0, 6-0 shutout, banking on a steady baseline game that typifies the formidable international threat.
