Lim blows bid for Florida main draw

MANILA, Philippines - Teener Alberto Lim Jr. hurdled his opening-round opponent but stumbled in the next as he missed a berth in the boys’ 18-under main draw of the Metropolia Orange Bowl International Championship in Florida Sunday.

Ranged against older, bigger competitors in the qualifiers of the Grade A netfest, the 14-year-old Lim held his ground against American Myles Schalet in a three-hour encounter and pulled off a come-from-behind 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory.

Barely an hour later, Lim returned to the Frank Veltri Tennis Center outdoor clay court to take on big-hitting Romanian Alexandru Buzelan, engaging the 18-year-old netter in another grueling three-setter before yielding, 6-7 (1), 6-2, 0-6.

Lim’s coach Manny Tecson said they decided to enter Lim in the 18-U instead of 16-U or 14-U events to further toughen him up.

“I and Alberto believed that because of these tough matches, he has gained so much experience and skills to keep building his game and his mental toughness,” Tecson said.

The Orange Bowl features the top junior netters in the world and carries the greatest ranking points in the Junior circuit outside the grand slam events. Its past champions include Roger Federer, Robin Soderling and John McEnroe.

“We’re coming back home with the knowledge that we can win in the 18 under Orange Bowl and it is time to build more physical strength to sustain these grinding matches against any player in the world,” said Tecson.