Banner field competes in Phinma int’l jr tennis

MANILA, Philippines - The two-stage Phinma International Juniors Tennis Championships unwraps next week with another banner field, featuring a slew of international aces and the country’s rising and leading junior netters, slugging it out for top honors at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

Twenty-two players, led by Malaysian No. 1 Hao Sheng Koay and the Phl’s No. 3 Eric Olivarez Jr., have been seeded into the main 32-player draw in the boys’ division with 26 more set to fight it out for the last 10 slots in the two-day qualifiers on Nov. 16-17 of the event put up by the Phinma Group of Companies and Mariposa Foundation and sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association.

A total of 87 players, including aspirants from the US, India, Taiwan, Australia, Italy, Russia, Belgium, Slovenia and Germany, are also in the alternate roster, underscoring the annual event’s tremendous pull the world over in the Grade 4 ITF (International Tennis Federation) 18-Under category.

Organizers have also seeded 22 players in the girls’ side, headed by Indonesia’s No. 3 Kahfiani Rifanty, Taiwan’s No. 5 Ya Yun Pai and the country’s fifth ranked player Maia Balce, while 26 others will also dispute the 12 remaining slots in the main draw.

Vying for seats in the boys’ main draw are China’s No. 5 Chukang Wang, Malaysia’s No. 6 Corneill Spaapen and local bets Dave Mosqueda and Jerome Romualdez, while Dominique Ong and Chrislyn Sioson join the likes of Korea’s No. 6 Da Ye Kim, Singapore’s No. 3 Ashley Kei Yim and Aussie Ella Husrefovic in the girls’ elims.

The first of two legs of the event, backed by the Philippine Sports Commission for the free use of the RMTC and Asiatraders Corp for the Dunlop balls as the official ball, will be held Nov. 18-23. The final leg will be played Nov. 25-30 with the two-day qualifiers set Nov. 23-24.

ITF supervisor/referee Wannawit Srirasa of Thailand is the event’s ITF supervisor/referee while Loida Mallare is the tournament director.

The qualifying sign-in for Week I is on Nov. 15 from 4-6 p.m. at the Philta office while the main draw sign-in is set Nov. 17.

Other seeded players in the boys’ side are Taiwan’s Tin Chen and Shao Min Ko, Italian Samuele Ramazzotti, Japan’s Toru Horie and Yunosuke Tanaka, American Jack Pulliam, Saudi Arabia’s Omar Ahmed, Turkmenistan’s Igor Barzasekov and Australian Jesse Delaney.

Joining Balce in the girls’ main draw are Khim Iglupas, China’s Qi Li Ma, Japan’s Satuko Sueno and Haruna Arakawa, Taiwan’s Fang Hsien Yu, Yuelin Chen and Han Chi Chen, Thai Watshacol Sawasdee and Kazakh Zhibek Kulambayeva.