Camcam, Caro make presence felt at PPS Pagadian

Izabelle Camcam showcased her resilience and versatility as she emerged the lone two-division champion while Tyronne Caro posted a win and a runner-up finish in the PPS-PEPP Governor’s Cup National Tennis Championships at the DAO Sports Complex in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur over the weekend.

The top-seeded 14-year-old Camcam survived a gritty challenge from No. 2 Zaia Gumbao to top her age group with a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6(5) victory.

She then raised her game even further, outlasting Gumbao again in a gripping 16U singles final, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(4), to complete a “double” in the Group 2 tournament presented by Dunlop.

The Muntinlupa City native, who had struggled in recent campaigns on the PPS-PEPP circuit, finally broke through in style and stood out as the tournament’s only multiple singles champion — a feat underscoring the deep competition and balanced field in the Mindanao leg of the nationwide tennis series initiated by Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Caro, meanwhile, lived up to his billing in the boys’ 12-and-U class, dispatching Dioford Cabatingan, 6-3, 6-2, in the title match. However, he fell short of a second crown, yielding to top seed Prince Centino, 6-4, 3-6, 1-6, in the 14U finals.