Arevalo takes smooth trip to finals

Top RP bet Czarina Mae Arevalo unleashed her power game as she walloped Korea’s Kim Soo Jin, 6-2, 6-0, yesterday in a suprisingly lopsided game that set her up with another Korean in the women’s singles finals in the 21st PCA Open at the PCA Indoor Courts.

Packing each of her shots with power, Arevalo, the top seed in this event presented by Dunlop and Accel, gave the third-ranked Kim little room to operate to take the match that lasted just 55 minutes and book a second straight finals appearance in the event.

"I was expecting a hard match because I’ve seen her play in the Asian circuit," said Arevalo, a 17-year-old fourth year student of Angelicum College.

"I was really surprised that I had an easy time against her (Kim), maybe she got nervous," added Arevalo, who has yet to give up a set in this meet supported by The STAR, Coca-Cola, San Miguel, PBCOM, Photokina, Equitable-PCI, PVL Restaurant-Little Lawrence Copacobana and Trans Asia Power.

A Steffi Graf fan, Arevalo, who grew up in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, shoots for her first ever PCA women’s singles title against Kim’s countryman, Lee Min Hee, at 10 a.m. today.

Arevalo lost to eventual champion Sonal Phadke of India in last year’s finals that deprived her of clinching her first PCA crown.

Lee, a 16-year-old first year student of Kyung Ha high school in Seoul, rallied from a first set loss to trounce No. 2 Patricia Santos of University of the Philippines, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, in a match where both netters had a hard time holding serve.

Santos, a graduating Home Economics student who is playing full time tennis for two years now after a five-year hiatus, broke Lee thrice in the opening set but before her Korean foe bounced back strong in the second to level the count at one set apiece.

After holding serve in the first game of the third set, Santos, a member of the RP Federation Cup team, started to feel pain on her right hand and leg that drastically affected her game.

Playing her first women’s professional tournament, Lee sensed Santos’ weakness and quickly pounced on it to take control in six of the last eight games and sealed the win which took them an hour and 40 minutes to finish.

"She (Santos) played really great in the first set and I played well in the second set," said Lee through an interpreter. "I sensed her serving hand is hurting so I took advantage of it," she added.

In men’s play, teener Joseph Victorino seeks to extend his giant-slaying ways as he clashes with second pick Adelo Abadia in today’s men’s singles finals set at 1 p.m.

Riding the crest of a stunning 6-2, 7-5 win over defending champion Johnny Arcilla in Friday’s semifinals, the 19-year-old Victorino hopes to add Abadia, a 6-0, 6-1 winner over fast-improving Nino Salvador of San Sebastian, to his growing list of victims.

Aside from the top purse worth P80,000, Victorino, a Lleyton Hewitt fan, and Abadia, a native of Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur, are fighting for the RP men’s top spot.

In the doubles competition, the top-ranked duo of Arcilla and Michael Mora grounded the veteran tandem of Jun Jun Toledo and Virgilio Sison, 6-3, 6-2, to successfully defend their title.

Meanwhile, a trip for two to Hong Kong via Philippine Airlines courtesy of Las Palmas Travel awaits the grand prize winner in a raffle to be held after the awarding ceremony.

Other prizes to be raffled off are trip for two to Boracay via Sea Air from Sun Village Resorts, a Condura refrigerator from Concepcion Industries, a 21" Sony TV from the PCA, gift checks worth P10,000 from David’s Salon, clothes and apparel from Accel and rackets from Dunlop.