Clarice, Tamitha advance

MANILA, Philippines - RP bets Clarice Patrimonio and Tamitha Nguyen pulled off emphatic victories to cruise into the semifinal round of the Vietnam International Junior Championships dubbed the Becamex Cup in Binh Duong, Vietnam recently.

Patrimonio, one of former basketball star Alvin’s two tennis-playing daughters, shrugged off a shaky start to fashion out a 7-5, 6-0 victory over local bet Phan Thi Thanh Binh.

Nguyen, on the other hand, zoomed to a 6-2 start then clinched the win after Thai Warissara Prajoubphansri withdrew in the second set.

The win set Patrimonio, currently ranked No. 252 in the ITF, in a semifinal showdown with Thai Sawanya Vasupongchai, who went through a full route before upending Swede Lin Akesson, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.

Nguyen, meanwhile, forged a duel with Indonesian Nadya Syarifah, a 6-0, 6-1 winner over Korean Kim Se Hyun.

Patrimonio also paired with Syarifah in beating Sawanya and Yada Vasupongchai of Thailand, 7-6 (4), 6-2, to barge into the doubles semis. The win set them a meeting with wildcard partners Nguyen Tu Kim Ngan and Hyunh Phi Khanh of Vietnam, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Singapore’s Khee Yen Wee and Finland’s Pernilla Wohlstrom.

Nguyen and her Indon partner Dina Karina, however, were trailing 4-6, 0-4 before retiring to the Vietnamese tandem of Nguyen Ngoc Minh and Phan.