Iglupas, Chen banner Phinma-PSC tennis cast

MANILA, Philippines - Top junior Filipina campaigner Khim Iglupas gears up for a tough outing next week as she headlines the talent-laden field in the two-stage Phinma-PSC International Juniors Tennis Championships at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

The 16-year-old Iglupas, coming off a victory in the Olivarez Cup last September, gains the top seeding in the 32-player girls’ singles draw where she is expected to slug it out with No. 2 Oi Li Ma of China, third seed Rifanty Kahfiani of Indonesia, Taiwan’s Ya Yun Pai and Kazakhstan’s Milana Lysova for the crown.

But the Iligan City native, who trains under Romy Chan at the Philippine Tennis Academy, is confident of her chances in Week I of the annual ranking championship sponsored by the Phinma Group of Companies and Mariposa Foundation and sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association.

Week I is slated Nov. 18-23 while the second leg will be played Nov. 25-30.

Meanwhile, the two-day qualifier 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 today and tomorrow with 26 players disputing the last 10 slots in the main draw.

Tim Chen of Taiwan banners the boys’ field that also features second seed Hei Yin Andrew Li of Hong Kong, No. 3 Samuele Ramazzotti of Italy, fourth-ranked Toru Horie of Japan and No. 5 Yong Jie Isaac Ong of Singapore.

Filipino bet Eric Olivarez Jr. gets the No. 10 ranking in the Grade 4 ITF 18-Under category, which has also lured the top and rising junior players from US, India, Australia, Russia, Belgium, Slovenia and Germany.

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

Eyeing spots 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.

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

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.