Iglupas survives Japanese, clinches Phinma quarterfinal round berth

MANILA, Philippines – Khim Iglupas toughened up from a second set loss and bumped off Japanese Sakura Yonehara, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2, to storm into the quarterfinal round and stay on track for a sweep of the PSC-Phinma International Juniors Tennis Championships Week 2 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center yesterday.

Stung by that rare setback in the tiebreaker, Iglupas put her act together in the decider and hammered in winners after winners to thwart Yonehara for a Last 8 face-off with the winner in the No. 6 Ayumi Hirata, also of Japan, and Ayana Rengiil match being played at presstime.

But while Iglupas escaped the upset axe, fellow Philippine Tennis Academy mainstay Shaira Rivera succumbed to the power-hitting Xin Yu Wang of China, 6-2, 6-2, in the upper half of the girls’ draw of the Grade 4 ITF tournament sponsored by Phinma Group of Companies and the Philippine Sports Commission.

Maia Balce also dropped a 6-4, 6-2 loss to Japan’s Himari Sato, leaving Week 1 champion Iglupas, 17, as the lone local bet in the girls’ side of the event backed by Mariposa Foundation, Dunlop Fort All Court Balls and Orchids Garden Suites.

Top seed Ayumi Miyamoto, hoping to get another crack at Iglupas, who beat her in the semis last week, continued to dish out impressive games, beating compatriot Risa Fukutoku, 6-0, 6-2, to set a quarters duel with Himari Sato.

Second seed Naho Sato also advanced to the next round with a 6-2, 6-2 romp over Korean Yuseung Suh while Ying Yi Yang of China subdued Japan’s Anri Nagata, 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-2, and Satoko Sueno held off Korean Cherry Kim 6-3, 7-5.

John Otico, also a member of the PTA headed by Rommie Chan, Oscar Hilado and Jean Henri Lhuillier with Jun Toledo as coach, also kept his bid alive in the boys’ category, thwarting David Marshall Nguyen of the US, 6-2, 7-5, for a quarters clash with Muhammad Althaf Dhaifullah of Indonesia.

Dhaifullah averted an all-Filipino quarters matchup by downing Arthur Pantino, also of PTA, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.