Parañaque Titans Rule MPPT Invitational Second Leg as Tacloban Aces Steal Spotlight With Giant-Killing Run
Two legs, two titles. The Parañaque Titans are building something in the Maharlika Pilipinas Pickleball Tour (MPPT), but the Tacloban Aces nearly stole the story.
The Titans won the MPPT Invitational Second Leg at the Tagaytay Velodrome, hosted by the Alfonso Siklab, beating the Tacloban Aces, 3-1, in the final on Championship Sunday. It was the Titans’ second crown in as many legs, and it came after an upset that sent the tournament’s top seed packing.
Where It Started: Parañaque Titans Make History
Parañaque, it should be said, are no strangers to this feeling. The Titans won the first-ever MPPT Invitational at PHCP in Pampanga, beating the Abra River Paddlers, 3-1, in the final and taking home ₱350,000 and a place in MPPT history. Leander Lazaro, who went unbeaten in that leg, led the way.
So when the tour moved to Alfonso for the second leg, the question was whether anyone could stop them.
Super Saturday: Abra and Parañaque Set the Pace
The group stage, played on 17 October, suggested a rematch was coming. In Group A, the Abra River Paddlers were commanding, finishing 14-1 with a +85 point differential and 43 points. The Gensan Punchers and Rizal Illustrados both closed at 9-6, ahead of Bangued Miki (6-9), the Pampanga Chefs (5-10), and the Camarines Norte Golden Hawks (2-13).
In Group B, the Parañaque Titans were the class of the field at 13-2, with a +64 differential and 41 points. The Alfonso Siklab (10-5), Batangas Bangers (9-6), and Tacloban Aces (8-7) followed, with the Bacoor City Strikers (3-12) and Muntinlupa City Smashers (2-13) at the bottom.
Championship Sunday Delivers
Quarterfinals: Tacloban Shocks Abra
Championship Sunday began with three sweeps: Rizal blanked Alfonso Siklab, 3-0, Parañaque rolled past Bangued Miki, 3-0, and Gensan dispatched Batangas, 3-0.
Then came the shock. The Tacloban Aces toppled Abra, 3-2, in a thriller that went to a tiebreaker, with the Aces edging the River Paddlers, 30-29, to eliminate the tournament’s top seed.
Semifinals: Tacloban Keeps Rolling, Parañaque Shows Depth
Tacloban rode that momentum past Rizal, 3-1, winning the men’s event, 11-0, the women’s, 12-10, and the deciding mixed match, 11-5. On the other side, Parañaque overcame Gensan, 3-1, sweeping the men’s and women’s matches, dropping the first mixed, and closing strong in the second mixed.
The Final: Parañaque Titans Seal It
Tacloban struck first, taking the men’s event, 11-9, and the Titans’ fans may have held their breath. But Parañaque came roaring back, winning the women’s, 11-4, the first mixed, 11-1, and the second mixed, 11-5, for a 3-1 victory.
After the Titans dropped the men’s match, they bounced back with an 11-4 win in women’s doubles through the pair of Sarah Jane Lim-Narvasa and Fatima Amirul. Ruben Gonzales and Jess Agra then dominated Mixed 1, 11-1, while Leander Lazaro and Lim-Narvasa, widely regarded as two of the Philippines’ very best, sealed the title with an 11-5 win in Mixed 2.
The Final Standings
- Champions: Parañaque Titans
- Runners-up: Tacloban Aces
- Semifinalists: Rizal Illustrados and Gensan Punchers
Indeed, if the first leg proved the Parañaque Titans were the team to beat, the second proved that beating them, or anyone, is harder than it looks. Abra’s quarterfinal exit showed that no lead is safe, and Tacloban’s run showed that in the MPPT, any team can turn a tournament upside down
