Mitsubishi Lancer Jr Championships: Foreign bets take out last of Pinoys

MANILA, Philippines - Foreigners pulled the plug on the Filipinos’ charge as French Alexandre Muller and Korean Duck Hee Lee bundled out Jurence Mendoza and AJ Lim, respectively, in the second round of the 24th Mitsubishi Lancer International Junior Championships yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

Qualifier Muller outlasted a cramps-hit Mendoza in three, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, while Lee turned back 13-year-old wildcard Lim, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), to oust the home boys from the third round of the Grade 1 netfest.

Mendoza, the highest-ranked Pinoy bet at No. 9, had everything working for him early on as he took the opening set and seized a 2-0 lead in the second. Then he started to cramp up and it was virtually a struggle from there.

“I felt the cramps in the second set but let’s give it to him (Muller), he was more fit,” said the 16-year-old Mendoza, who had to have his legs massaged to make it through the deciding set.

“He (Mendoza) was hurt and it was a break for me,” said Muller, whose next opponent will be Tunisian Mehdi Abid, 6-4, 6-4 winner over Austrian Lucas Miedler.

Lim fought 14th seed Lee shot for shot but just fell short in the two sets that were both decided by tiebreaks.

“It was breaks of the game. But AJ (Lim) proved he can play against top players like the Korean who already played in the grand slam,” said Lim’s coach Manny Tecson of the Korean, who reached the Round of 32 of the recent Australian Open Juniors as a qualifier.

Lee faces top seed Borna Coric in the next stage. The world No. 6 Coric dispatched Thai Krittin Koayku, 6-0, 62, in their second-round encounter.

Also through to Round 3 were No. 2 Omar Jasika of Australia (6-3, 7-5 winner over Thien Nguyen Hoang of Vietnam); No. 3 Cameron Norrie of New Zealand (6-3, 6-3 victor over Daniel Guccione of Australia); No. 5 Harry Bourcher of Australia (6-4, 6-4 winner over Nam Hoang of Vietnam);

No. 6 Banjamin Bonzi of France (6-3, 0-6, 7-6 (2) victor over Chun Hun Wong of Hong Kong); No. 8 Kim Young Seok of Korea (6-2, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Jamie Malik of Britain); No. 11 Johnny O’Mara of Britain (6-0, 6-4 winner over Adrian Bodmer of Switzerland); No. 13 Takashi Sato of Japan (6-0, 6-1 winner over Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul of Thailand); No. 15 Dukyoung Kim of Korea (6-2, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Ryotaro Matsumura of Japan); Akira Santillan of Australia (6-0, 6-4 victor over Adrian Bodmer of Switzerland).