Iloilo City: Eric Jed Olivarez defeated veteran Johnny Arcilla, 6-3, 6-3, in the men’s singles final of the Governor’s Cup National Open Tennis Championship at the Iloilo Sports Complex Friday. Olivarez relied on his variety of shots to beat the 44-year-old Arcilla, a veteran Davis Cupper and 10-time Philippine Columbian Association Open champion.
According to Philippines News Agency, Olivarez, 26, expressed his strategy and experience during the match in an interview on Saturday. He mentioned that it was his first time playing on a synthetic grass surface. Arcilla started strong in the first set, leading 3-2, but Olivarez managed to break serve at 3-3 and maintained his momentum from that point.
In his journey to the final, Olivarez, ranked as the country’s No. 2, defeated John Benedict Santiago (6-3, 6-0), Austin delos Santos (6-2, 6-1), Eric Jay Tangub (6-2, 7-5), and Vicente Anasta (6-0, 6-1). Meanwhile, Arcilla advanced to the final by overcoming Claran Alipo-on (6-1, 6-1), Luke Flores (6-1, 6-1), John Kendrick Bona (6-2, 6-2), and Ronard Joven (6-2, 6-4).
Olivarez received PHP100,000 for his victory, while Arcilla took home PHP50,000. The tournament was part of the Kasadyaan and Dinagyang festivals, showcasing competitive tennis alongside cultural celebrations.
In the doubles category, Arcilla and Joven secured the PHP50,000 top prize after defeating the pair of Olivarez and Anasta, with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 10-7.
