Nguyen pulls off shocker over Patrimonio in Vietnam

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines’ Tamitha Nguyen humbled compatriot Anna Clarice Patrimonio, 6-2, 6-4, to complete the Filipinos’ romp in the Becamex Cup of the International Junior Championship in Binh Duong, Vietnam.

Nguyen, whose mother Edna Olivarez-Nguyen was a former national team mainstay, surprised the fancied Patrimonio, one of the two tennis-playing daughters of former PBA superstar Alvin, by showing grit and aggressiveness.

The win thus annexed the ecstatic Nguyen her first ever title, which eclipsed a pair of quarterfinal finishes she did last March in Brunei and Malaysia.

Nguyen probably got the needed momentum in the semifinals where she pulled the rug from under heavy favorite top seed Nadya Syarifah of Indonesia, 6-2, 6-0, to set up an all-Filipino finale.