Martin, De Asis rule Panaad netfest

No. 2 Jacob Martin wore down top seed Justin Suarez in a grueling final showdown and eked out a 6-4, 3-6, and 6-4 victory to capture the boys' 16-and-under crown in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age group tennis circuit presented by Technifibre at the Monta-Panaad Tennis Court in Bacolod City yesterday.

La Carlota's Kiana de Asis, meanwhile, continued to dish out top form and came away with another two-title romp in the girls' side of the Group 2 tournament sanctioned by Philta headed by president and Paranaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez and held in conjunction with the city's Masskara Festival celebrations.

Martin, the 16-year-old ace from Xavier School backed by Wilson, leaned on his solid serve-and-volley game in the decider, breaking Suarez once to snare the hotly contested crown in the event sponsored the country's leading pawnshop, remittance and claim center.