Pantino turns back Otico, barges into Phinma semis

MANILA, Philippines – Wild card Arthur Craig Pantino pulled through in a tight duel with compatriot John Otico, carving out a 6-4, 6-4 decision to crash into the boys’ semifinal round of the PSC-Phinma International Juniors Tennis Championships Week 1 at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City yesterday.

Pantino foiled the higher-ranked Otico with a solid all-around game as the De La Salle-Zobel ace sustained his charge in the Grade 4 ITF tournament sponsored by Phinma Group of Companies and the Philippine Sports Commission after scoring a pair of three-setters early in the tournament.

The slow-starting Pantino upended No. 7 C. Wang, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, in the opener then repulsed Vietnam’s Nguyen Phuong Van, 2-6, 6-1, 6-0, before subduing Otico to gain a crack at one of the championship berths against second seed Yeongseok Jeong of Korea, who survived James Trotter of Japan, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-1, in the event backed by Mariposa Foundation, Palm Rock Residences and Dunlop Sport, also the tournament’s distributor of official balls.

Top seed Naoki Tajima, meanwhile, struggled past Hong Kong’s Alester Magalit, 6-0, 4-6, 6-1, to arrange a semis duel with Taipei’s Ho Ju Lee, who stunned fourth seed K. Kerdlaphee of Thailand, 6-3, 6-2.

In girls’ play, local ace Khim Iglupas and Japan’s Ayumi Miyamoto forged a semis showdown of last year’s champions of the two-week event with the former storming past Japan’s Anri Nagata, 6-2, 6-4, and the latter trouncing Chinese Ying Yi Yang, 6-3, 6-3.

The third-seeded Iglupas, a mainstay of the Philippine Tennis Academy like Pantino, took the Week 1 crown last year but fell to Miyamoto in Week 2 with the Japanese going all the way to claim the title, making their 9 a.m. clash today a match to watch.

No. 4 Satoko Sueno, also of Japan, held off compatriot Himari Sato, 6-4, 7-5, to seal a Final Four clash with Chinese Xin Yu Wang, who repulsed another Japanese Sakura Yonehara, 6-4, 7-5.

Miyamoto also stayed in the hunt for a doubles’ title in Week 1 of the event, sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association headed by president and Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez with Wannait Srirasa of Thailand as ITF supervisor and Loida Mallare as tournament director, as she teamed up with Nagata to defeat Chinese Wang and Yang, 6-4, 6-4, and notch the first finals berth in girls’ doubles.

Week 2 of the event, which stakes 40 ranking points to the singles winners, will be played Nov. 24-29.