Alcantara eases out Patrombon, gains semis

MANILA, Philippines - Wild card Francis Casey Alcantara took the best dished out by the country’s best and proved this time he’s better, pulling off a thrilling 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(2) victory over Jeson Patrombon to crash into the Final Four of the second Olivarez-Philta Open Tennis Championships presented by Palawan Pawnshop Express Pera Padala yesterday.

Alcantara, 20, unloaded winners, chased down crosscourt returns then played it smartly in the pressure-packed tiebreaker of the decider to finish off his top-seeded rival and remain on track of the coveted men’s Open singles crown at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat.

The Cagayan de Oro native took the first three points in the tiebreaker and held on to 4-2, 5-2 leads before racking up the next two points to wrap up the grueling two-hour, 35-minute encounter between the country’s leading singles players.

The victory lined up Alcantara, who is eyeing a stint with the Pepperdine U next year, against a steady Vicente Anasta, who clobbered Joseph Victorino, 6-1, 6-1, in the other quarterfinal duel of the centerpiece event sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop Express Pera Padala and Stronghold Insurance with Dunlop as official ball.

No. 4 Patrick Tierro scrambled past Alexander Lazaro, 6-4, 7-5, and will face the winner between second seed Johnny Arcilla and the other fancied wild card entry Fil-Italian Marc Reyes, who were disputing the last semis berth at presstime.

In ladies Open singles, top seed Clarice Patrimonio cruised to the semis with an imposing 6-1, 6-1 rout of Akiko de Guzman but expects a tougher assignment against third seed Aileen Rogan, who held off No. 8 Maika Tanpoco, 6-4, 6-4.

Second seed Marinel Rudas likewise strolled past Jzach Canja, 6-1, 6-0, to set up a Final Four clash with No. 4 Alyssa Labay, who scored a 1-6, 4-3 (Ret.) win over No. 5 Christine Patrimonio, who complained of stomach ache before quitting in the lower half of the draw.

Patrimonio and Rogan clash at 10 a.m. today with Rudas and Labay disputing the other finals berth. Winners will clash for the crown tomorrow, also at 10 a.m.

The men’s semis will be played at 11 a.m. along with the finals in the boys’ 18-, 16-, 14-, 12-and-under and 10-unisex divisions of the two-week long ranking tournament sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association.