Zoleta gains q’finals as Japanese retires

Bambi Zoleta, a precocious 15-year-old from Lucena City, wasn’t bothered by a rain delay yesterday as she advanced to the girls’ singles quarterfinals of the Phinma International junior tennis tournament.

Zoleta forced Japan’s Mika Morimoto into retirement after a 5-5 standoff in the first set.

“She retired of back pains. I noticed when we were playing at 5-4 that she was having difficulty,” said Zoleta who faces Australian Ashling Sumner in today’s quarterfinals at the Rizal Memorial courts.

Sumner advanced with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Chinese Taipei’s Hua-Chen Lee, after getting struggling compatriot Sarah Miller in the opening round, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

Other winners in the girls’ side as of presstime were Cody Morris, another Australian who drove past Thailand’s Benyapa Phumtip, and Japan’s Rico Fujioka who won by default over Indonesia’s Laili Rahmawati. Top seed Niño Alcantara was still warming up for a match against Australia’s Sean White at 4:30 p.m.