Donna Diamante sets her sights on a dominant campaign in the girls’ division, while Jhunreal Espinosa looks to prove he belongs among the country’s rising stars as the City of Naga Juniors Age Group Tennis Championships get underway Thursday, July 9, at the City of Naga courts in Cebu.

The Group 2 tournament, sanctioned by the Philta and Universal Tennis Rating, ushers in the Visayas leg of the three-stage Juniors Series, following its successful launch in Mindanao as part of Palawan Pawnshop’s continuing commitment to discovering and developing the country’s future tennis champions through quality grassroots competition.

Diamante and Espinosa headline the 16- and 18-and-under divisions, both aiming for a title sweep to gain an early edge in the series while collecting valuable ranking points and national recognition.

Their paths, however, are far from easy.

Etha Seno, Alessandra Garcia and Mercy Pinili are expected to mount strong challenges in the girls’ side, setting the stage for a week-long battle among some of the country’s most promising young talents in the Visayas.

The tournament forms part of Palawan Pawnshop’s long-term grassroots development program, designed to provide Filipino junior players with a consistent, high-level competitive platform where they can sharpen their skills, gain valuable match experience and steadily progress to higher levels of competition.

The circuit will then head to Cebu City for the second leg on July 16-21 at the Villa Aurora Tennis Courts in Pardo with the third stop slated on July 23-28 at the Mandaue Tennis Courts.

Espinosa, meanwhile, faces stiff opposition from James Estrella, Marcus Sio and David Sepulveda in the boys’ 16-and-U category, while Hazlie Malicay and Kristian Kilat loom as his chief rivals in the premier 18-and-U division of the tournament, backed by ICON Golf and Sports, Dunlop, and the Palawan Group of Companies through president and CEO Bobby Castro.

Competition is likewise expected to be intense in the younger age groups.

Seno leads the girls’ 14-and-U field that also features Arianna Tiongko, Danica Diamante and Garcia, while Estrella, Sio, Madison Rago and Antonio To-Ong headline the boys’ division.

In the 12-and-U classes, Tiongko, Eliana Ngo, Cassandra Lanterna and Angel Ermita headline the girls’ roster, while Nino Lambating, Dale Diamante, Ryan Orquina and Brandon Castro are tipped to contend for top honors in the boys’ event.

Also up for grabs are the boys’ and girls’ doubles championships in the 14- and 18-and-U divisions.