Phinma International junior tennis slated at Manila Polo Club

MANILA, Philippines – Top junior players from the region, including the country’s rising stars, gear up for another two-week battle for tennis supremacy and ranking points in the PSC-Phinma International Juniors Tennis Championships set Nov. 17-22 at the Manila Polo Club in Makati.

Five Thailand bets and four Japanese head the 22 players seeded into the 32-player main draw in the boys’ division based on their respective rankings with 26 more set to dispute the remaining 10 slots in the tournament proper in the two-day qualifiers on Nov. 15-16.

John Bryan Otico, one of the country’s upcoming stars, is the lone Filipino in the main draw of the week-long event backed by major sponsors Phinma Group of Companies and the Philippine Sports Commission.

Meanwhile, the qualifying sign-in is on Nov. 14, up to 6 p.m., also at the Makati venue with the main draw sign-in set Nov. 16. Hostilities in Week I of the two-stage meet starts Nov. 17.

The alternate roster has 109 players, including aspirants from Malaysia, Thailand, Great Britain, Russia, India, Singapore, Chinese-Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, Korea, Hong Kong and the Philippines, underscoring the annual event’s tremendous pull the world over in the Grade 4 ITF (International Tennis Federation) 18-Under category.

Kittirat Kerdlaphee, Phongsapak Kerdlaphee, Charles Roberts, Sirawit Daosaengsawang and Suphawit Sae-oui banner Thailand’s bid while Japanese Rimpei Kawakami, Shinji Hazawa, Naoki Tajima and Hikaru Shiraishi try to duplicate compatriot Toru Horie’s sweep of the twin titles of event supported by Mariposa Foundation and Dunlop Sport, also the tournament’s distributor of official balls.