Top rated Korean boots out Abadia

Top seed Korean Chung Hee-Seok outclassed fifth seed Adelo Abadia, 6-0, 6-2, yesterday to advance in the semifinals against defending champion Joseph Victorino in the P400,000 Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Open Tennis Championships at the PCA indoor courts in Plaza Dilao.

Victorino, seeded fourth in this event offering P80,000 to the champion, scored a 6-3, 6-0, victory over No. 10 Elbert Anasta.

In other matches, second seed Johnny Arcilla downed sixth seed Rolando Ruel Jr., 6-4, 6-2, to advance against No. 15 Pop Sabandon, a 6-3, 6-1 winner over unseeded Patrick John Tierro.

In the ladies singles, top seed Anna Patricia Santos rallied past seventh seed Ivy de Castro, 6-1, 2-6, 6-0.

"I cannot find my rhythm in the second set and Ivy took advantage of that," said Santos, who reached the fourth round of the Asian Championships in Uzbekistan early this year. She was also in the RP Federation Cup that competed in China.

Santos, who will banner the ladies team in the Vietnam SEA Games next month, will next play fourth seed and defending champion Czarina Mae Arevalo, who demolished fifth seed and La Salle player Michelle Panis, 6-1, 6-3.

Santos, who became the country’s No. 1 player after winning the Olivarez Cup, Coca-Cola Open and Hilado Cup, lost to Arevalo in the second round last year.

Santos expects a tough match against Arevalo, who slid to No. 4 in the Philta national rankings after taking a three-month break from active competition.

"It will be an interesting match. If I play well, I have a good chance to beat her," said Santos, who beat Arevalo in the Hilado Cup final, 6-2, 6-2, two months ago. She also won their final match last year, 6-1, 7-5.

Arevalo, on the other hand, won the 2002 Coke Open over Santos, 6-1, 7-6. She also eliminated Santos in the second round of last year’s PCA Open, 6-0, 6-3.

"Pantay lang ang laban. Maganda ang laro ni Tracy (Santos) kaya siguradong close yung semis match namin," declared Arevalo, who teamed up with Santos to win the doubles bronze in the first Asian-Afro Games in India a few weeks back.

Meanwhile, second seeds and defending champions Johnny Arcilla and Michael Mora III downed Irwin de Guzman and Michael Quinones, 6-4, 6-2, to reach the men’s doubles quarterfinals of this event presented by Dunlop and sponsored by Diadora, PLDT, Procter and Gamble, Coca-Cola, Copacabana, San Miguel Corporation, Stronghold, Little Lawrence, PVL Restaurant and the Philippine Star.

In other matches, top seed Koreans Chung Hee-Seok and Seung Hoon Oh clobbered No. 14 Rocky Paglalunan and Mario Sabas, 6-0, 6-2, No. 3 Alexander Lazaro and Rolando Ruel Jr. defeated Ramil Buenaventura and Jessie Magat, 6-2, 6-4, No. 4 Koeans Seung Hoon Lee and Eui Hyun Chung outplayed Derrick and Duane Santos, 7-6 (3), 6-3, No. 5 Beeyong Sison and Junjun Toledo beat Terrence Estrope and Rollyto Litang, 6-4, 6-4.

Other winners were No. 6 Chemiel Mantua and Pop Sabandon over Elbert Anasta and Antonio Sagansay III, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0, No. 7 Adelo Abadia and Joseph Victorino over Julius Kraut and Michael Misa, 6-3, 6-3, and Adonis Lominoque and Fritzgerald Tabura over No. 8 Jesse Lapore and Jaime Solon, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.