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March 30 2014 ITS Staff Manila, Philippines - Karunuday Singh of India captured his second career ITF Level pro tournament after posting another upset victory over third-seed Shuichi Sekiguchi 6-4 5-7 6-3 at the 2014 Olivarez Cup International played under hot and humid conditions at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center on Sunday.

After dropping the second set, the No. 8 seed Singh, who was appearing in his fourth career ITF Men’s Circuit singles final, regained control in the third set breaking Sekiguchi’s serve once to secure the match after two hours and 35 minutes.

Singh, who completed his run after ousting Taiwan's No.2 seed Ti Chen in the quarter's and unseeded Filipino Patrcik Tierro in the semis, followed up Sunday’s singles victory after winning the doubles crown on Saturday with Slovakian partner Ivo Klec by denying their Filipino-Thai opponents Ruben Gonzales and Sonchat Ratiwatana.

Singh’s maiden ITF title came in June 2011 ITF India (d. Vijayant Malik) and his two previous final appearance were in May 2013 ITF Thailand (lost to Ben Mitchell) and December 2013 ITF Thailand (lost Boy Westerhof).

The Olivarez Cup ITF Futures event was facilitated by Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) Vice-President Randy Villanueva in honor of the current PHILTA President Edwin Olivarez. Olivarez, who was a former junior champion and nationally-ranked player in the 80’s, also currently serves as Paranaque City Mayor located just south of Manila. Olivarez’s son, Pablo, recently graduated as a scholar-athlete from Western Michigan University in the United States where the young Olivarez was named to ITA All-Academic team and was 12th on WMU's career wins list with 178 overall victories. Younger son Eric Jr, 15, is a promising junior player in the country. 

March 29 2014 ITS Staff Manila, Philippines — Third seeded Shuichi Sekiguchi of Japan shocked the Australian top-seed Benjamin Mitchell of Australia 4-6 6-1 6-2 on Saturday in the semifinals of the men’s singles of the $15,000 Olivarez Cup International played at at Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

After dropping the first set on a lone break, Sekiguchi turned the match in his favor breaking the 21-year old Queenslander five times to secure his second consecutive ITS Pro level final. The 22-year old Kanagwa resident reached last week’s ITF Japan leg losing to Thai veteran Danai Odomchoke.

In the other semi-final, India’s Kurunuday Singh stopped local wildcard entry Patrick John Tierro’s magnificent run with a three set 6-2 4-6 6-2 victory. The 23-year old Singh, ranked World No. 488, broke Tierro twice in the deciding set to secure the match after one hour and 45 minutes.

Singh followed up his singles win coming back in the afternoon to win the doubles crown with partner Ivo Klec. The India-Slovak pair upset No.1 seeds Ruben Gonzales of the Philippines and Thai partner Sonchat Ratiwatana 6-4 3-6 10-8.

March 28, 2014 ITS Staff Manila, Philippines – Filipino Davis Cup player Patrick John Tierro continued his winning ways at the $15,000 (ITF Futures) Olivarez Cup International on Friday.

The 28-year old Tierro this time registered a thrilling upset victory over No.4 seed Roberto Ortega-Olmedo of Spain 6-1 6-7(2) 7-6(5) to reach his first career ITF Pro level semi-final appearance. 

Squandering seven match points in all, Tierro served for the match in the second set at 5-4 but the Spaniard refused to concede storming back to take the tie-breaker in dominating fashion to force a deciding set.

Tierro again led 5-4, 0-40 in the third set on Olmedo’s serve but again couldn’t close out before gutting it out and securing the match on the eighth match point 7-5 in the tie-breaker after the Spaniard sailed his forehand return long.

The victory earned Tierro the right to compete for the final against Karunuday Singh of India who stunned No. 2 seed Ti Chen of Taiwan 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-6(5) on Saturday.

In other quarter-final matches late Friday, No.1 seed Queenslander Benjamin Mitchell defeated No.6 seed Ivo Klec of Slovakia 7-5 6-1, and Japan’s No.3 seed Shuichi Sekiguchi ousted No.5 seed Andrew Whittington of Australia 7-5 6-3. Mitchell is bidding to reach his 15th ITF Pro level final where he currently holds a win-loss record of 7-7 in finals.

In men’s doubles, Philippine No.1 Davis Cup player Ruben Gonzales teamed with Thailand’s Sonchat Ratiwatana, a Top 100 ATP doubles player with his twin brother Sanchai, to defeat the Czech/Malaysian team of Ivo Minar, former World No.62 in singles, and Mohd Merzuki 6-2 6-2 in the semi-finals.

The Filipino-Thai duo will meet Ivo Klec of Slovakia and Karunaday Singh of India for the championship. Klec and Singh defeated Ti Chen and Christopher Rungkat 6-3 7-6(4).

March 27 2014 ITS Staff Manila, Philippines - Local wildcard Patrick John Tierro advanced to the quarterfinals of the $15,000 (ITF Futures) Olivarez Cup International on Thursday after a hard-earned 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Spain’s Adam Hermida Sanjurjo.

The 28-year old unseeded Tierro will now face No.4 seed Roberto Ortega-Olmedo of Spain who stopped his compatriot Carlos Boluda-Purkiss 6-3, 6-2.

The 28-year Tierro, who was world-ranked No.777 in 2007, came back from a set down and 1-3 in the second before reeling off four straight games to force a decider. In the final set, Tierro took control after breaking the 18-year old Spaniard in the sixth game securing the match after over two hours and a half of play under 90’F-plus degree heat at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center Tru-Flex hardcourts.

Top-seeded Ben Mitchell of Australia, who started training at the Pat Cash Tennis Academy in Queensland as a 10-year old in 2003 at the same time Tierro attended as a 17-year old, dominated Cheng-Yu Yu of Taiwan 6-3 6-2 in just over an hour. Mitchell reached the final of Wimbledon Juniors in 2010.

In other second round matches, Taiwan’s No.2 seed Ti Chen crushed compatriot Chih-Jen Ho 6-1 6-3; Japan’s No.3 Shuichi Sekiguchi also moved safely into the quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Thailand’s Kittiphong Wachiramanowong. Fifth-seed Andrew Whittington denied 34-year Philippine Davis Cup veteran Johnny Arcilla 6-4 6-2.

March 26 2014 ITS Staff Manila, Philippines – Top two seeds Benjamin Mitchell of Australia and Taiwan's Ti Chen cruised past their respective opponents in the first round of $15,000 (ITF Futures) Olivarez Cup International held at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. 

The No.1 seed Mitchell, a finalist at Junior Wimbledon in 2010 and now World No.262, defeated Mohd Assri Merzuki of Malaysia 6-4 6-3 while second-seeded Chen took out Filipino Marc Reyes 6-4 6-1.

Philippine Davis Cup players Johnny Arcilla and Patrick John Tierro also booked their places in the second round. Tierro edged countryman Calvin Charles Canlas 7-5 6-2 and 34-year-old Arcilla beat Thailand’s Chayanon Kaewsuto when the latter retired with Arcilla leading 4-6, 7-6 (4), 4-1.

Also advancing to the next round is Japan's third seed Shuichi Sekiguchi who eliminated Indonesia's No.1 Davis Cup player Christopher Rungkat. Sekiguchi reached the finals of the ITF Japan leg last week losing to former Top 100 player Danai Udomchoke.

Meanwhile No.7 seed Ivo Minar, the 29-year old former world-ranked No.62 from the Czech Republic, was stunned by 18-year Adam Sanjuro Hermida of Spain 7-6(5) 6-4.