Dy, Dandan escape spate of RP losses

Fil-Am Denise Dy and Kyle Dandan came away with victories in varying fashions to emerge the last Filipino survivors as six other RP bets bowed out in the second day of the 18th Mitsubishi Lancer ITF Junior Circuit at the Rizal Tennis Center.

Dy wavered in the second set but pulled through just the same as she eked out a 6-2, 7-5 victory over American Krista Damico, while Dandan,18, overwhelmed compatriot Mark Jaypee Balce, 6-2, 6-0, to barge into the third round of this weeklong Grade 1 event.

While Dandan faced little resistance against Balce, Dy had her hands full against Damico.

After taking the opening set and a 4-1 lead in the second, the 2005 Manila Southeast Asian Games veteran lost her focus, enabling Damico to seize a 5-4 lead and move within a game from sending the match into a decider.

But Dy recovered her bearing and rhythm in time, taking the next three games and eventually sealing the win with a solid forehand winner.

"I thought I played bad and lost focus," said Dy, who came off disappointing stints in Bangkok and Malaysia where she failed to get past the first round.

"But this kind of situation usually defines how tough you are, if you can adjust to it," she said. "I adjusted well, that’s why I won."

However, the rest of the local bets – Raymond Villarete, Felix Assad, Pablo Olivarez II, Ralph Kevin Barte, Christian Canlas and Conchita Zoleta – dropped their respective matches.

Villarete bowed to top seed John Smith of Australia, 6-3, 6-2; Assad fell to Aussie Bernard Tomic, 6-1, 6-0; Olivarez succumbed to Swede Rasmus Jonasson, 6-1, 7-6(3)l Barte absorbed a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Slovak Eugen Bradzil; Canlas was bundled out by Stephen Donald of Australia, 6-1, 6-0; and Zoleta dropped a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand. – Joey Villar