EXCITING matches are expected in this year's 5th edition of the Cebuana Lhuillier Tennis Circuit on April 17 to 20 at the Baseline tennis courts.
The qualifying round for those hoping to earn slots in the 32-man main draw will be on April 15-16.
There will be single, doubles and pro-am matches.
One of the players to watch out for is 16-year-old junior stalwart Jurence Mendoza, who is sixth in the men's ranking.
He recently completed an impressive finish in the 30th Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Open tennis championship men's singles last December.
"Jurence has not yet beaten Johnny Arcilla. He beat a lot of top players when he reached the PCA finals last year against Johnny. He was the youngest PCA finalist. We will just have to find it out in this tournament if he will finally accomplish that," said organizer April Toledo.
Last year, Mendoza reached the Round of 16 before flying off to New Delhi, India with Cebu's Jacob Lagman, where they had to suit up for the national team in the Jr. Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group tie.
Another promising player to watch out for is the youngest player to join the tournament, 15-year-old Stefan Suarez, who is a wild card entry.
To complete the Top 16 are Arcilla, Vicente Elberto "Onyok" Anasta, Rolando Ruel Jr., Patrick John Tierro, Ronard Joven, Alexander Lazaro, Kim Ivor Saraza, Arcie Mano, Mark Anthony Alcoseba, Roel Capangpangan, Juvan Divinagracia, Antonio Sagansay III, Cebu's Israel Abarquez, Leander Lazaro and Kenneth Salvo.
Abarquez, who is the only Cebuano to be part of the country's Top 16 ranking, said he has been preparing for this tournament.
"Two years ago, I only reached the second round. Last year I missed the tournament because of the Private Schools Athletic Association national finals. This year, I am back and with hope that I can improve my finish," Abarquez said.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on April 11, 2012.