Blog

MANILA – Jaicee Cervantes and Jehanne Mendoza shot a 76 to take a one-shot lead in the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Junior PGT Championship girls’ 7-10 division Wednesday at the Aoki course in General Trias, Cavite.

Cervantes, coming off a victory at Beverly Place, birdied two of her first three holes while Jehanne Mendoza recovered from an early triple bogey to finish second with a 77 while Tyly Bernardino carded an 81 for third.

Cervantes and Mendoza entered the tournament ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the Luzon standings and are seeking to join already-qualified Winter Serapio and Andrea Dee in the North squad.

Another win by Cervantes and a runner-up finish by Mendoza could effectively secure the remaining Finals slots, while challengers Cecilia Mamauag and Laura Pablo face an uphill battle after opening with 90 and 91, respectively, at the challenging par-72 layout.

“I need to work on my short game tomorrow,” said the nine-year-old Cervantes of Assumption College, who moved closer to completing back-to-back victories.

But after a solid start, she found the greens difficult to read, yielding seven bogeys against just one more birdie to finish with a 40-36.

The boys’ 7-10 division remains wide open as Asher Abad and Drake Matias shared the lead with 74. Mateo dela Cruz and Kenzo Tan both shot 77, while Kingston Ching struggled to an 80.

Ranked fifth in the standings, Abad needs a victory and favorable results from rivals to earn a Finals berth.

“My game plan is to just maintain my scoring, block out what the other players are doing, and play my own game,” said Abad. 

 Ginebra ended the TNT curse, outlasting the Tropang 5G, 88-76, in Game 7 of the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup finals in front of 24,617 fans at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Wednesday night.

It was the franchise’s first title since a record 54,589-strong crowd at Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan watched Ginebra turn back Bay Area, 114-99, in the Commissioner’s Cup finals Game 7 in January 2023.

Since that championship three years ago, the Gin Kings lost to the Tropang 5G thrice in the finals — Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup, and Season 47 and Season 49 Governors’ Cup finals.

Best Import awardee Justin Brownlee led Ginebra with 30 points and 14 rebounds in the clincher, including 16 points in the second half to fuel a 48-29 run that erased a 49-47  halftime deficit.

Brownlee scored 54 (Game 5) and 52 (Game 6) points in earlier games.

“These beautiful fans, they gave us the energy to go out there and win,” Brownlee said. “We were down and TNT gave us a battle. But as coach Tim kept telling us, ‘this is our time.’”

“Stephen Holt said it before the series started, ‘this is our time.’ And it was our time.”

The win gave Brownlee his seventh PBA championship.

“Ten years ago I would never have thought I’d be still playing at 38 years old and winning championships,” Brownlee said. “But these fans, they give me the energy to go out there play for them, play for my family and give my best.”

Scottie Thompson finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists and was named Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) by the PBA Press Corps.

“Ito yata ‘yung pinaka-emotional na panalo ko ng finals MVP kasi (This is probably my most emotional finals MVP win because it is) unexpected. I’ve been battling through ups and downs,” Thompson said.

Best Player of the Conference RJ Abarrientos added 13 points to win his first PBA title.

TNT was led by import Chris McCullough’s 28 points. Jordan Heading scored 21 and RR Pogoy had 15.

The scores:
GINEBRA 88 — Brownlee 30, Thompson 19, Abarrientos 13, Rosario 13, J. Aguilar 7, Pinto 6, Gray 0, Holt 0, Cu 0.
TNT 76 — McCullough 28, Heading 21, Pogoy 15, Oftana 5, Aurin 4, Nambatac 3, Galinato 0, Khobuntin 0, Williams 0.
Quarters: 18-16; 40-47; 68-63; 88-76 (PBA/PNA)

MANILA – Gilas Pilipinas will be tapping the services of Justine Baltazar, Mike Phillips and Troy Rosario for the upcoming window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, with the Philippines looking to shore up its frontline amid key absences.

The trio earned call-ups as Gilas grapples with manpower issues in the frontcourt, with 7’1 Kai Sotto and 6’10 Quentin Millora-Brown expected to miss the July road games against New Zealand and Australia.

National team mainstay Calvin Oftana has also ruled himself out due to a scheduled toe surgery.

Baltazar, a 6-foot-9 forward center currently suiting up for Converge, returns to the national team fold after emerging as one of the PBA’s most impactful big men.

Phillips, a 6-foot-8 athletic forward currently playing for the San Juan Knights in the MPBL, also gets the nod for the national team’s final 12-man roster.

The former De La Salle University standout was named UAAP Finals Most Valuable Player during his collegiate career and is expected to provide energy, rebounding and defensive versatility.

Rosario, meanwhile, adds size, athleticism and experience to a retooled Gilas frontline as the Philippines prepares for two physically demanding assignments away from home.

Leading the roster is naturalized player Justin Brownlee, who joins the national team shortly after powering Barangay Ginebra to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup championship.

Also included are Ginebra guards Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarrientos, veteran San Miguel center June Mar Fajardo, and Meralco stalwart Chris Newsome.

Completing the lineup are Japan B.League campaigners Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, Kevin Quiambao and Carl Tamayo.

Coach Tim Cone earlier bared they are exploring the possibility of holding a media day and an open workout for fans, tentatively scheduled for June 22, before the team departs for New Zealand.

Gilas is set to leave for Auckland on June 23 for a week-long training camp aimed at helping the squad adjust to winter conditions before opening the window.

The Philippines will face New Zealand on July 3 in Auckland before taking on Australia on July 6 in Perth.

Gilas currently shares second place in Group A with New Zealand at 2-2, behind unbeaten Australia at 4-0.

Guam remains at the bottom of the standings with an 0-4 record. 

MANILA – Filipino Alexandra Eala survived her first-round match at the WTA 500 Berlin Open, beating Queen’s Club champion Donna Vekic, 7-5, 6-4, Wednesday on the grass of the Steffi Graf Stadium in Germany.

Eala, who is now 2-0 against Vekic, won the WTA 125 Birmingham Open at the Edgbaston Priory Club in England last June 7.

Vekic, on the other hand, ruled the HSBC Championships (Queen’s Club Championships) last June 14 to secure her first career WTA 500 title. She entered the main draw as a “lucky loser” and conquered British Emma Raducanu, 6-0, 7-6 (6) in the final to become the first Croatian to win the women’s singles title.

Eala recovered from 0-40 in the final game to win the match and set up a duel with World No. 2 Elena Rybakina.

The second-seeded Rybakina had a first-round bye along with World No. 1 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka, third seed American and 2024 champion Jessica Pegula, and fifth seed American Coco Gauff.

Liudmila Samsonova won the tournament’s inaugural event in 2021 followed by Ons Jabeur (2022) and Petra Kvitova (2023). Czech Marketa Vondrousova defeated Chinese Wang Xinyu, 7-6(10), 4-6, 6-2, last year.

“I told myself that she’s fighting back, but I’m also a fighter, so I have to try. I have to try and I have to give her a hard time,” the 21-year-old Eala told Sky Sports during the post-match interview.

“Donna is an incredible player and she’s been showcasing it a lot lately, and every time I play her, it’s been very difficult,” she said.

“So I had a lot of expectations for this match in terms of the level that I had to bring in, and I’m happy with the intensity today,” added Eala, who sits at No. 34 in the WTA Live Singles Rankings with 1,422 points.

She reached a career-high World No. 33 after winning the Birmingham Open, her first title on grasscourt and second WTA 125 crown after the 2025 Guadalajara Open in Mexico.

Last year, she bagged the gold medal at the Thailand SEA Games, the Philippines’ first in women’s singles after 26 years.