Lady netters bounce back, enter singles quarterfinal

The Philippine lady netters redeemed themselves from an embarrassing shutout loss in their first match in the team competition with rousing starts in the singles event at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center yesterday.

Riza Zalameda, a Fil-Am who had played for the US team in a number of international youth events, outclassed Vietnam’s Viet-Ha Ngo, 6-1, 7-5, while Denise Dy, another Fil-Am who took over from the injured Czarina Mae Arevalo, overpowered Myanmar’s Kyi Mya Zaw, 6-1, 6-3, to advance to the quarterfinal round.

In the men’s side, Eric Taino, a key player of the triumphant RP squad in the men’s competition, was also off to an impressive start with a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Laotian Vientay Thepsouvanh for a seat in the quarters.

Compatriot Cecil Mamiit, seeded second behind Thai No. 1 Danai Udomchoke, faces Myanmar’s Zaw Zaw Latt in the first round today.

After a breeze in the first round, Zalameda and Dy, however, will be up against formidable foes in the Final Eight with the latter taking on top seed Suchanan Viraprasert of Thailand and the former facing second seed Wynne Prakusya of Indonesia.

Incidentally, Prakusya, the defending singles champion, walloped Zalameda, 6-1, 6-1, in their confrontation in the team competition Sunday. Prakusya and her Indon team went all the way to win the championship.

Zalameda, however, is hopeful she could turn things around in their rematch Thursday.

"As long as I give my best and play hard out there, anything can happen," said Zalameda.

Against Ngo, Zalameda had an easy time winning the first set but had to work hard to get the second set with her reed-thin Vietnamese foe finding her rhythm towards the end.

Once again playing in a hip-hop outfit, the UCLA team mainstay broke Ngo in the 11th set then held serve in the ensuing set to cap the victory that lined her up for a rematch with Prakusya.

A booming smash closed the one-and-a-half-hour duel to cheers from the Filipino crowd, including members of her family who flew in from the California.

Daughter of former RP Davis Cupper Rolly, Riza said she’s now in the groove of things, having been in the country playing several matches for two weeks now.

Zalameda in fact won the second leg of the Holcim-ITF circuit in the same venue last week.

Dy had a more easy time against Zaw, completing her victory in just 52 minutes.

Dy is just a replacement for homegrown top bet Arevalo, who suffered a severe sprain in her match with Romana Tedjakusuma in the RP-Indon duel Sunday.

Vietnam’s Kim-Loi Tran gained the last slot in the women’s singles quarterfinals with a 6-0, 6-0 demolition of Timor Leste’s Alcina Ximines.

Drawing first round byes are seeded players Viratprasert, Prakusya, Tedjakusuma, Thai fourth seed Napaporn Tongsalee and Myanmar fifth seed Chity Su Yee.