Iglupas clips Chinese foe, barges into Phinma QF

MANILA, Philippines - Khim Iglupas kept the Philippine hopes alive as she barged into the girls’ singles quarterfinals of the Phinma International Juniors Week 2 tournament yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

The 15-year-old Iglupas bravely fought back from a one-set deficit to score a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Chinese Qi Li Ma for a spot in the Last 8 against either Week 1 champion Shiori Fukuda or Konomu Shida, both of Japan.

Iglupas emerged as the last Phl netter standing in singles’ play following the exits of compatriots Roxanne May Resma, Mai Bernadette Balce, and wild card John Bryan de Casa from the event sponsored by the Phinma Group of Companies and sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association.

The fourth-seeded Resma bowed to Japanese Izumi Asano, 1-6, 0-6, while Balce failed to sustain a headstart in the opening set and dropped a 7-5, 2-6, 5-7 heartbreaker to No. 6 Indonesian Rifanti Kahfani in the girls’ singles. 

De Casa, the lone Phl bet to reach the second round in the boys’ side of the event, backed by Philippine Sports Commission, Dunlop Fort All Court Balls, Wilkins and Viva Mineral Waters, crashed out as well following a 1-6, 0-6 defeat to seventh-seeded Japanese Yuki Takamura.

The Phl’s tandem of Dave Sebastian Mosqueda and Eric Olivares Jr. fell short of a semis stint in boys’ doubles as they yielded to Taiwanese Jefrrey Hsu and Japanese Kento Yamada in the quarters, 1-6, 2-6.

Foreign bets continued to impose their will in the event with boys’ top seed and Week 1 champion Lin Wei-Dei scoring a routine 6-2, 6-3 victory over Japanese Taisei Miyamoto to advance to the quarterfinals.

 Thai Jaipet Anontaweesil stunned girls’ No. 1 Chihiro Muramatsu, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.