Capadocia crashes out of HK tennis

MANILA, Philippines - Marian Jade Capadocia of the Philippines failed to sustain her good start and yielded a 7-5, 2-6, 1-6 setback to No. 2 Han Na-Lae of Korea to crash out of the qualifying round of Chevalier Hong Kong ITF Women’s Circuit Week 4 Saturday in Hong Kong.

Capadocia faded after taking the first set, allowing the more experienced Korean, who is ranked 367th in the ITF/WTA, to turn the tables around in the qualifiers for the main draw of the $25,000 event.

Stats showed the 18-year-old Capadocia committing 10 double faults as against Han’s two. Han, 21, broke the netter from San Jose, Antique a total of 10 times, paving the way for her triumph and a second-round encounter with Chinese Gai Ao, 6-0, 3-6, 6-0 winner over wild card Claire Yoonkee Choi Spackman of Hong Kong with a slot to the main tourney at stake.

Capadocia failed to at least match her performance in the previous third leg of the Hong Kong series. Last week, the Filipina ace swept her two assignments in the qualifiers to advance to the $10,000 netfest but fell short against her first-round rival from France.

The exit capped Capadocia’s rookie year in the pros.