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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Rising stars set for showdown at Fortheo Cup

Rising stars set for showdown at Fortheo Cup

Published Jun 17, 2025 03:21 pm

At A Glance

  • Another jam-packed roster of rising stars will chase titles and ranking points as the Fortheo Cup National Junior Tennis Championships unwraps Thursday, June 19, with the boys' singles competitions at the South City Recreational Sports Center courts in Biñan City, Laguna.
Another jam-packed roster of rising stars will chase titles and ranking points as the Fortheo Cup National Junior Tennis Championships unwraps Thursday, June 19, with the boys’ singles competitions at the South City Recreational Sports Center courts in Biñan City, Laguna.
The Group 2 tournament marks the opening salvo of another action-filled two-week swing, following the successful staging of the Fortheo Cup leg in Valenzuela City. There, record participation led organizers to divide the boys’ and girls’ competitions into separate weeks – a format now carried over to accommodate the surge of entries across multiple age categories.
This week’s tournament is expected to mirror the previous leg's excitement and intensity, with packed 32-player draws in the 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-and-under divisions – clear signs of the sport’s growing popularity among the youth nationwide.
Leading the charge in the centerpiece 18-and-U bracket are siblings Frank and France Dilao, headlining a powerhouse cast that includes top-ranked juniors Antonio Ng, Jr., Tristan Licayan, Gravin Kraut, Jonathan High, Juan Carlos Pabillore and Jaime Reyes. With such a stacked lineup, expect explosive matchups right from the first serve.
The 16-and-U division is equally loaded, with Rafa Monte de Ramos, Karl Almiron, Julio Naredo, and Jacob Gonzales securing the top four seeds. Other notable names in the draw include Kenji Kue, Felizardo Lota III, Javier Roque and Raphael Wong, all poised to make deep runs.
Kue and Gonzales will also double up in the competitive 14-and-U field, led by top-seed Matteo Calingasan and bolstered by the likes of Caleb Villeno, Dean Palaroan, Mattias Go, Vivaan Garg and Noel Zoleta, all eager to deliver breakout performances in the event sponsored by Fortheo Power Station and supported by Threema, Ckap Roofing, Tier One Architects, Scrambowl, and Altick Tennis School.
Meanwhile, action in the 12-and-U division is tipped to be just as fierce, with Villeno holding the No. 1 seed and facing stiff competition from Gabriel Vitaliano, Raven Licayan, Joaquin Dacyon, Carl Batallones, Rafael Cablitas, Jacob Dizon and Zoleta.
Sanctioned by Philta, the tournament is part of the country’s longest-running grassroots tennis development program, supported by Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro, in partnership with Universal Tennis and ICON Golf & Sports.
The girls’ division will take the spotlight next week, continuing the momentum of junior tennis development across the country.
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