Italian bags title in Lae

Italian Julien Banchetti was crowned the 2022 Panamex Singles Tennis Open men’s champion after beating Glenn Cabasug in two sets (6-1, 7-5) at the Lae Golf Club tennis courts on Sunday afternoon.
Banchetti got off to a flying start winning the first set after breaking Casabug’s serve on several occasions and forcing him to play catch up as European dropped only one game.
The Italian used his longer frame to get to his shots and stretch his Filipino opponent.
Cabasug regrouped and fought harder in the second set this time winning on his service and playing smarter with deft touches at the net and better shot selection to lead the set 5-3 before Banchetti shifted gears to win three straight games for a 6-5 score line and then keeping his cool to close out the match in the tie breaker.
Unsurprisingly, Banchetti said he was obsessed with tennis and winning the inaugural title was a great feeling.
“Congratulations to Glenn who played amazing tennis and fought well today (Sunday) giving me hard times. Let’s keep playing the game and moving forward to compete next year,” he said.
He thanked sponsors Panamex and the Lae Tennis Club for hosting the tournament as well as his family for their support.