Donna Diamante sets her sights on a dominant campaign in the girls’ division while Jhunreal Espinosa looks to prove he belongs among the country’s rising stars as the City of Naga Juniors Age Group Tennis Championships get underway on Thursday at the City of Naga courts in Cebu.

The Group 2 tournament, sanctioned by the Philta and Universal Tennis Rating, ushers in the Visayas leg of the three-stage Juniors Series, following its successful launch in Mindanao as part of Palawan Pawnshop’s continuing commitment to discovering and developing the country’s future tennis champions through quality grassroots competition.

Diamante and Espinosa headline the 16U and 18U divisions, both aiming for a title sweep to gain an early edge in the series while collecting valuable ranking points and national recognition.

Their paths, however, are far from easy.

Etha Seno, Alessandra Garcia and Mercy Pinili are expected to mount strong challenges in the girls’ side, setting the stage for a week-long battle among some of the country’s most promising young talents in the Visayas.

The tournament forms part of Palawan Pawnshop’s long-term grassroots development program, designed to provide Filipino junior players with a consistent, high-level competitive platform where they can sharpen their skills, gain valuable match experience and steadily progress to higher levels of competition.

The circuit will then head to Cebu City for the second leg on 16 to 21 July at the Villa Aurora Tennis Courts in Pardo with the third stop slated on 23 to 28 July at the Mandaue Tennis Courts.

Espinosa, meanwhile, faces stiff opposition from James Estrella, Marcus Sio and David Sepulveda in the boys’ 16U category, while Hazlie Malicay and Kristian Kilat loom as his chief rivals in the premier 18U division.

Competition is likewise expected to be intense in the younger age groups.