Eleven days of local tennis action came to a thrilling close as the 2026 Gentry Open wrapped up with an exciting weekend showcase of finals at the Colegio de San Agustin Tennis Stadium in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
The men’s singles final featured a rematch between the country’s top-ranked player AJ Lim and Filipino-American Christopher Papa.
Papa dethroned Lim in the finals of the Palawan Open at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center last June, setting the stage for another highly anticipated showdown.
Papa and Lim engaged in a compelling three-set battle on Sunday that featured excellent shotmaking, high-quality rallies, and a bit of controversy.
In the end, Papa once again came out on top, edging Lim, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (6), to claim the men’s singles title and the accompanying P400,000 cash prize.
In women’s singles, returning standout Marian Capadocia showed that she is nearing the form that once made her the Philippines’ top-ranked player.
Capadocia opened her campaign with back-to-back double-bagel victories before dominating top seed Kaye Emana, 6-2, 6-2, in the quarterfinals.
Sixth seed Elizabeth Abarquez was equally impressive throughout the week, scoring victories over 13-year-old prodigy Maristella Torrecampo and third seed Louraine Jallorina to book her place in the final.
Capadocia, however, proved too strong, cruising past Abarquez, 6-1, 6-1, to capture the women’s singles crown.
Papa also teamed up with Francis Casey Alcantara to secure the men’s doubles title, defeating second seeds Lim and Noel Damian, 6-4, 6-2, in Saturday’s final.
Alcantara, a former world No. 162 in men’s doubles and the first Filipino junior doubles Grand Slam champion after winning the 2009 Australian Open boys’ doubles title, combined with Papa, currently ranked No. 315 in the world in men’s doubles, to dominate the tournament.
As the top seeds, the pair won all of their matches in straight sets.
In women’s doubles, top seeds Kaye and Mica Emana lived up to their billing, defeating third seeds Annika Diwa and Mikaela Vicencio, 6-2, 6-4, in straight sets to secure the championship.
