ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Rivals rise as Lim, Olivarez dominate Gentry Open start

Rivals rise as Lim, Olivarez dominate Gentry Open start

Published Oct 12, 2025 03:53 pm

At A Glance

  • Top seeds AJ Lim and Eric Jed Olivarez launched their title bids with ruthless efficiency, setting the tone for what many expect to be a blockbuster showdown in the inaugural Gentry National Tennis Open Championship at the Colegio San Agustin courts in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan over the weekend.
Top seeds AJ Lim and Eric Jed Olivarez launched their title bids with ruthless efficiency, setting the tone for what many expect to be a blockbuster showdown in the inaugural Gentry National Tennis Open Championship at the Colegio San Agustin courts in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan over the weekend.
Lim, the No. 1 seed and a perennial force in local tennis, dismantled Patrick Paumar with a commanding 6-0, 6-0 win. The recent PCA Open winner barely gave Paumar room to breathe as he cruised into the second round, where he is set to meet Richard Bautista, a walkover winner over Philippe Coteron.
Not to be outdone, second seed Olivarez mirrored Lim’s dominance with a similar 6-0, 6-0 drubbing of Kian Sanchez. He now faces John Christopher Sonsona, who showed grit in overcoming Carlos Austria in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, in the lower half of the 64-player draw.
The blue-ribbon event, which features a record-breaking P2 million in total prize money, including P300,000 for the men's singles champion, has drawn some of the country's finest and hungriest talents, making this edition one of the most competitive in recent memory.
While pundits are already anticipating another classic Lim-Olivarez final – a rivalry that has headlined many local Open tournaments – several rising stars and seasoned campaigners have shown they're ready to crash the party.
Among those who advanced with impressive wins were John Benedict Aguilar, who turned back Hilbert San Jose, 6-4, 6-2, and John Kendrick Bona, who dispatched Nash Agustines, 6-4, 6-1. Ronard Joven blanked Sammie Quiño, 6-1, 6-0, while Nilo Ledama overwhelmed Kean Enriquez, 6-2, 6-0.
Loucas Fernandez, Alexis Acabo, Elvin Geluz, Charles Kinaadman, Kenzo Brodeth, and Eric Jay Tangub also moved forward with convincing victories, showcasing the depth and potential of the field.
In particular, Kinaadman’s 6-0, 6-0 rout of John Rey Moreno and Brodeth’s 6-1, 6-3 win over Jose Bernardo served notice of their capability to mount deep runs and possibly derail the projected Lim-Olivarez finale.
Also progressing were veterans and rising names such as Allyson Cabanilla, John Jeric Accion, Tanakorn Srirat, Miguel Iglupas, Patrick Tierro, Jeremiah Latorre, Martin Libao, Jarell Edangga, Eury Dice Gaspar, Ariel Cabaral, RJ dela Fuente, Jovanie Pilares, Craig Pantino, Klyde Lagarde, Al-Zayeed Baid, Gabriel Gurria, Evan Bacalso, and Jude Ceniza.
With the first-round jitters out of the way, the second round is expected to tighten, with players sharpening their form as they eye a spot in the later stages of this prestigious tournament.
The two-week showcase, presented by Great Wall Motor Philippines and supported by title sponsor Gentry Timepieces through Hayb Anzures, represents a major leap forward for Philippine tennis. It raises the bar not only in prize money but also in tournament prestige and player development.
The event is held in partnership with the Palawan Pawnshop National Tennis Championships and supported by sponsors including Hiessence, Purse Maison, Mobile Cart, Primoshine, Sole Avenue, PDAX, Darling’s Fine Jewels, Luxetrust by Amethyst, The Watch Reserve, and Guapo Car Care Solutions. Official balls are provided by Dunlop and Icon.
Meanwhile, the women’s Open singles – offering P100,000 to the champion – got underway Sunday afternoon with top seed Mikaela Vicencio battling Geraldin Robles and second seed Tiffany Nocos clashing with Estela Frias.
Other contenders include consistent performers Elizabeth Abarquez, Victoria Peña, Niña Alcala, Tenniele Madis, Stefi Aludo, and Rachel Velez, all hoping to stake their claim in what promises to be an equally competitive women’s field.
Running concurrently with the Open is the juniors division – part of the Palawan Pawnshop junior tennis circuit initiated by president/CEO Bobby Castro, aimed at nurturing young talents inspired by the meteoric rise of Alex Eala. The juniors competition offers budding stars valuable match experience and ranking points.
Top juniors in the boys' 18-and-under category include Gavin Kraut, Brendan Morales, Julio Naredo, Jade Laurente, Krelz Gecosala, Lance Maglaqui, Aeyshaun Gomez and Martin Paulsen.
In the girls’ premier division, Jan Cadee Dagoon and Izabelle Camcam lead the way, alongside top 16-and-U names such as Ayl Gonzaga, Dania Bulanadi, Vania Parawan, Natasha Gabriel, Francine Wong, and Athena Liwag.
Beyond the elite-level Open, the event also features men's and women’s doubles, collegiate and inter-school competitions, Legends play, team events, and club-level classified matches – offering a true festival of tennis for all levels.
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.