JESON Patrombon took the first Open crown in tennis’ restart after a two-year hiatus, repulsing a game Jed Olivarez with a clutch break in the deciding match to capture the PPS-PEPP Olivarez Cup crown via a 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 decision at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat over the weekend.
Patrombon, 28, wore down Olivarez in a gripping third set battle of nerves, snapping their hold-hold game by foiling the latter at serve in the 10th after blowing two match points and then forcing a deuce and winning the last two points to clinch the three-hour, 10-minute victory worth P30,000.
The Iligan City ace capped his big weekend by teaming up with Vicente Anasta to thwart Olivarez and Joewyn Pascua 7-5, 6-4 for the doubles crown in the event organized by Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala that marked the return of the country’s longest running circuit from the pandemic disruption.
Patrombon, who marked his finals run with a string of straight-set victories, including an abbreviated win over No. 3 and many-time fellow Davis Cup teammate Johnny Arcilla, dropped a set for the first time as the 23-year-old Olivarez pulled through in a tense tiebreaker after trading breaks in the seventh and 10th games of the opening set.
But the top-seeded Patrombon recovered strong in the second frame, breaking Olivarez in the fourth and eighth games to essay the 51-minute win and send the match to a deciding set that saw the second ranked Olivarez struggle in the second game before hacking out a scrambling win to draw level.
