RP bets Johnny Arcilla and vastly-improved Joseph Victorino downed their respective Korean foes yesterday to set up a semifinal duel in the 21st PCA Open at the PCA Indoor Courts.
Displaying incredible resiliency, the 22-year-old Arcilla, the country’s top netter in this 10-day event presented by Dunlop and Accel, outlasted Lee Chang Hoon, 7-5, 6-4, in a fierce struggle that lasted an hour and 34 minutes.
"Mas malakas siyang pumalo tapos ginawa pa akong wiper, kanto-kanto ang bola," said Arcilla, who has yet to give up a set in four matches in this meet supported by The STAR, Coca-Cola, San Miguel, PBCOM, Photokina, Equitable-PCI, PVL Restaurant-Little Lawrence, Copacobana and Trans Asia Power.
"Tsinaga ko na lang siya, pinasok-pasok ko muna ‘yung bola tapos pag me pagkakataon binira ko na," he added.
Arcilla’s semis opponent, the third-ranked Victorino, in contrast, had an easier time.
Playing awesome tennis, the 19-year-old Victorino, whose latest victory came in the Coca-Cola Open in Subic last summer, needed an hour and 19 minutes to wallop Chung Eui Hyun, 6-2, 6-3.
"Patience ang susi sa panalo ko, said Victorino, a Lleyton Hewitt fan. "Pero mukhang pagod na rin dahil galing siya sa dalawang three-setter na laban.
The losses by Lee and Chung left Lee Min Hee and Kim Soo Jin to carry their country’s flag.
No. 3 Kim, 17, and a second year student of Kyung Ha High School in Seoul, made short work of Alyssa Labay, in the ladies section 6-1, 6-1, while her schoolmate and fourth seed Lee, 16, downed sixth pick Charise Godoy, 6-3, 6-1, in a pair of wins that avenged their countrymen’s losses to the Filipinos.
Top two seeds Czarina Mae Arevalo and Patricia Santos, part of the RP Federation Cup team in her second year playing full-time tennis after a five-year hiatus, also hurdled their respective assignments to assume the responsibility of putting a stop to the Korean juggernaut in women’s play.
Arevalo, 17-year-old, fourth year student at Angelicum College, booked a semis seat the easy way as Petrona Bantay, a 6-1, 6-1 second round winner over Sommer Bisagas, was a no show. Bantay arrived an hour after their scheduled game and was fined P1,000 by the organizers.
A graduating Home Economics student at University of the Philippines, Santos, on the other hand, downed 13-year-old Ivy de Castro, 6-3, 6-3, a day after a tight 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 6-0 win over pesky Berry Sepulveda, and faces Lee next in tomorrow’s ladies semis.
"I haven’t played her (Kim) but I expect a great match," said Arevalo, who is based in Alabang but grew up in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. "Sayang, mas maganda sana kung nakapaglaro ako ngayon (yesterday) pinawisan sana ako kahit kaunti."
A native of Chonan, a southern province two hours from capital Seoul, Chung, 27, was coming off a 7-5, 0-6, 6-1 win over teener Co and a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 triumph over national coach and 10th pick Cris Cuarto before this round and had little energy left to withstand Victorino’s superb baseline game.
"I got tired in my last few games so I didn’t play that good today (yesterday)," said Chung, a four-time RP visitor whose last title came nine years back in a juniors tournament back home, through an interpreter.
Also barging into the next round were second ranked Adelo Abadia, who grounded No. 7 Rolando Ruei, Jr., 6-3, 6-2, and 20-year-old Nino Salvador of San Sebastian, who stopped teener Pius Ocampo’s giant-slaying ways with a 6-0, 7-6 (0) win.
An MVP of last year’s NCAA, Salvador needed a second set tiebreak to send Ocampo, whose list of victims include fourth seed Michael Mora III, packing while arranging a rematch with Abadia, who bested him in Bacolod Open in marathon three-setter last September which lasted four hours.
"Three times ko na siyang (Salvador) tinatalo kaya lang nung huli nahirapan ako kaya siguradong maganda ang laban namin bukas, (today)," said Abadia, many-time Davis Cupper who grew up in Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur.