MANILA, Philippines — Eric Jed Olivarez lastly turned the tide in opposition to longtime rival Alberto Lim Jr. — although not within the style he may need envisioned — as he captured the Cong. Eric Olivarez Nationwide Open Tennis Championship crown in an anticlimactic end after Lim retired resulting from dizziness.
What was billed as a showdown between two of the nation’s high tennis aces had all of the components of a traditional finale — the highest two seeds, excessive stakes and a private rivalry with latest historical past. Lim had bested Olivarez in back-to-back finals on the Iloilo Nationwide Open and Calderon Cup in Isabela, giving their third straight title conflict an added layer of intrigue.
This time, nevertheless, it was Olivarez who emerged triumphant on the Olivarez Sports activities Middle in Sucat, Parañaque, after Lim was compelled to retire early within the third set.
The 26-year-old Lim, eyeing a three-peat over Olivarez, had rebounded from a first-set loss to dominate the second. However after they cut up the primary two video games of the decider, he complained of dizziness and was taken to the close by Olivarez Hospital for exams and confinement.
For Olivarez, the victory wasn’t nearly pocketing the P60,000 high prize. It was about delight, redemption and halting Lim’s latest dominance — particularly at an occasion deeply tied to his household’s dedication to grassroots and elite tennis improvement.
Fueled by that legacy, Olivarez got here out aggressive, breaking Lim within the opening recreation and happening to safe the primary set after a tense change of holds. Although Lim fought again within the second set with a blistering four-game run to even the match, the anticipated third-set battle was minimize brief by his sudden retirement, leaving a way of unfinished enterprise.
Nonetheless, the psychological breakthrough was evident. After two straight setbacks to Lim, the previous Western Michigan College standout lastly gained the higher hand — even when the match ended earlier than its pure conclusion.
Olivarez’s highway to the title included victories over Gabriel Gurria, Al Tristan Licayan, Nilo Ledama, and doubles companion Vicente Anasta. Lim, for his half, defeated Adrian Cagitla, Brysl Libao, Mateo Rivas and John Benedict Aguilar to succeed in the ultimate.
Earlier within the event, Lim discovered success within the males’s doubles, teaming up with Noel Salupado for a 6-2, 6-2 win over Al-Zayeed Baid and Mcleen Gomera. Baid and Gomera had earlier surprised the Olivarez-Anasta tandem within the semifinals with a 2-6, 6-3, 10-1 comeback.
Different winners had been Legends males’s doubles (60+) Manny Lucas/Randy Malle, (50+) Aldrin Geluz/Roy Tan, (40+) Gee Abacan/Ken Salvo, (30+) Mingoy Calingasan/Ken Salvo, and (Under 30) Mcleen Gomera/Nilo Ledama.
In the meantime, registration is now open for the Dr. Pablo Olivarez Sr. Juniors Event, set for August 7-11 and 14-18 on the Olivarez Sports activities Middle and Parañaque tennis courts. For particulars, contact PPS-PEPP Sports activities Program and Growth director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.
