Eric Olivarez and John Benedict Aguilar begin their title bids on Tuesday in the Mayor Edwin Olivarez National Open Tennis Championships at the Olivarez Sports Center and Parañaque indoor clay courts in Sucat.
Olivarez takes on David Abordo, while Aguilar faces Calvin Chung as the top two seeds headline the opening matches of the week-long, P415,000 tournament.
Neither is assured an easy passage, however, with a 32-player singles draw that includes several seasoned campaigners and younger players capable of challenging the favorites.
Veterans Nilo Ledama, Vicente Anasta and Noel Damian are among those looking to make deep runs, along with Eric Tangub, Loucas Fernandez and Elvin Geluz.
The tournament, sponsored by Mayor Edwin Olivarez and Rep. Eric Olivarez, continues the Olivarez family’s support for Philippine tennis by bringing established players and younger competitors together in a national-level competition.
The singles champion will receive P100,000, with the runner-up taking home P50,000. Prize money will also be awarded to qualifiers and players who exit at the Round of 16 stage of the event supported by Dunlop, Philippine Tennis Association, Icon Golf and Sports, Universal Tennis Rating and Palawan Group of Companies.
The men’s doubles champions will receive P50,000. Among the featured combinations are Olivarez and Ledama, Aguilar and Rolly Saga, Damian and Brysl Libao, and Geluz and Al-Zayeed Baid.
Several notable singles matches are also on the opening-day schedule.
Ledama faces Christian Gorges, Anasta takes on Cristiano Calingasan, Damian meets Lucas Go, Fernandez plays Hans Asistio, Tangub faces Gurkan Nasilbilirsen, and Geluz takes on Krelz Gecosala.