Elaf Group crushed fancied Hidada Tennis Club 4-1 (8-7, 8-3, 8-6, 3-8, 8-4) and remained unbeaten (3-0 win-loss) to snatch solo leadership in group one of the B2 category and Jazeera Concrete Co. Ltd. subdued Al-Shuman Int'l-JIS Tennis Club 3-2 (8-3, 4-8, 8-7, 8-5, 7-8) in an exciting high mix event, as the long path to the next level goes shorter and narrower in the ongoing elimination round of the 1st Arabasco Team Tennis Tournament being played at the tennis courts of the Albilad and Sheraton Hotels here. Trailing 0-3, the Elaf Group pair of Raymond Davis and Ruben Alzate found deadly range from the 8th game to level the match at 4-4 against the Hidada tandem of Andrew Vilan and Alain Ariesgado. With the close match reaching a 7-7 deadlock ending the regulation set, the Elaf Group pair tightened the grip in the tie-breaker for a 7-3 (8-7) win. Cold starter Mohsen Yusuf picked up his game from 0-2 and caught fire for a 4-0 blast and cruised to an 8-3 tally in the first singles against Ruben Macalindong to place Elaf Group ahead at 2-1. In the crucial second doubles, Gilbert Bruno and Mar Malonzo failed to capitalize a 4-2 edge as Albert Ariesgado and Tony Cleofas of Hidada went for a nerve-breaking 5-4 reversal, but the Elaf duo regrouped to grab the driver's seat at 7-5 that led to an 8-6 win. As Noel De Guzman folded against the fearless and consistent ground strokes of young Carl Abat at 8-3 in the fourth set singles, team Elaf Group ravaged for more points as veterans Bernie Ramones and Jun Atienza subdued the Allan Ariesgado-Luntac tandem of Hidada with a thumping 8-4 triumph. The win placed team Elaf Group just one game away in securing a quarterfinal berth in B2 category. With the set standing at 1-1, Al-Jazeera set the kill as the Mohsen Hafiz-Bong Andales tandem nipped Al-Shuman Int'l pair of Jojo Valencia and Reden De La Cruz in an exciting tie-breaker (9-7) after trailing 4-7. JR Cablao and Roland Santos delivered the coup' de grace with an 8-5 clincher in the high quality A2/B+ in the crucial fourth set match. Al-Shuman Int'l kept the point in the fifth set as Cesar Panti and Danny Canoy suppressed Mohammed Farsi and Bilal Sayyed in another tie-breaker. Early in the first set, Rudy Menor and Maan Janoudi set the pace for Al-Jazeera against Noel Panti and Lito Reyes at 8-3, but Arnold Bernardino and Jake Olaquer downed Benjie Usman and Cocoy Clapano at 8-4 for the equalizer at 1 set all. In a lower mix event encounter, team Camry of Toyota Tennis Club displayed promising form by quelling the stiff stand of Jeddah Tennis Organization (JETO), in a bitterly-fought 3-2 verdict (8-5, 8-5, 1-8, 2-8, 8-6), and team BB & Co. of Arabian Homes Tennis Club overhauled a 0-2 deficit in fashioning a come from behind triumph over team Gatorade of Saudia City Tennis Club (SCTC) in C category (2-8, 6-8, 8-1, 8-2, 8-1). Organized and managed by the Association of Tennis Clubs (ASTEC)-Jeddah, this sports event is principally sponsored by the Arabian Aircraft Services Co., Ltd (Arabasco). Co-sponsors are Deltaz, Adwaa Al-Tamayuz Contracting Co. Ltd, Sky Freight Forwarders, Malaysia Airlines & TFC (The Filipino Channel) ABS-CBN. __
