Pinoy netters deliver in ATF U14 tourney

MANILA, Philippines — Alexa Joy Milliam and Marielle Alexi Jarata battled back from a set down and wore down Singapore’s Tamryn Brown and Sue Yan Tan in the decider to hack out a 4-6, 6-3, 10-4 victory and claim the girls’ doubles title in the ATF (Asian Tennis Federation) 14-Under Series in Kuching, Sarawak last Friday.

Milliam also recovered and imposed her will in the third set to foil Taiwanese Liya Chum, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1, to reach the singles finals of the annual event featuring the region’s top and rising junior players.

The ace Filipina netter earlier blasted Singapore’s Kai Ning Chanya Ng, 6-0, 6-1, then thwarted Chinese Jiatong Cai, 6-3, 7-6(5), before surviving Chu to arrange a title showdown with Taiwanese Tzeng Mu-Jie, who scored a walkover win over Mianyi Ji of China in the other semis pairing.

Tzeng upended the other Pinay bet in the quarters, Marielle Jarata, 6-0, 6-2.

Exequiel Mari Jucutan and Joewyn Rey Pascua, the two other members of Team Unified Tennis Philippines whose campaign is backed by Cebuana Lhuillier Micro Savings, Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala, Dunlop, Enervon, STI, Buffalo Wild Wings, BO’S Coffee and Madison Galeries Lifestyle Mall, likewise stayed on track for an all-Pinoy duel in the boys’ side as they hurdled their respective quarterfinal rivals in emphatic fashions.

The second-ranked Jucutan toppled India’s Vishal Prakash, 6-3, 6-1, to set up a semis clash with No. 3 Zaid Mashni of Saudi Arabia, who routed Malaysian Syed Uzair Ibrahim, 6-2, 6-3, while the No. 4 Pascua crushed local ace Thoybah Rahim, 6-0, 6-3, for a Final Four face-off with Malaysian Muhammad Kamarul Zaman, who foiled Pinoy Marc Jarata, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Jucutan and Pascua also moved to the doubles finals with a 6-1, 6-2 romp over Malaysians Sachindhananda Balamurugan and Ivan Oh. They will face Jarata, who teamed up with Rahim to beat Zaman and Syed Uzair, 6-4, 2-6, 10-7, in the other semis duel.

Another group of young UTP players, led by Sydney Enriquez and Eric Jay Tangub, is also set to compete in the ITF Grade 5 tournament in Selangor on Oct. 1-6.