Dizon advances to 8th First Gen Juntaphil semis

Melanie Faye Dizon routed Julia Co, 6-0, 6-0, yesterday to clinch the first semifinal berth in the girls’ 16-and-under section of the eighth First Gen Juntaphil Metro Age Group Tennis Championship at Alabang Country Club in Muntinlupa.

The third-ranked Dizon advanced to the quarters with a walkover win over Marie Cruz then imposed her will and strength over Co, who also won by default over No. 6 Mikaela Vicencio, to reach the Final Four in the  tournament co-presented by the First Gen Corp. headed by Francis Giles Puno and sponsored by Smart Communications.

But Dizon will have her hands full as she guns for a spot in the finals with De La Salle-Zobel’s Rafaella Villanueva looming as her next rival after the top-seeded bet likewise fashioned out a 6-0, 6-0 win over Gabby Sandejas in the second round.

At presstime, Villanueva, daughter of Philta vice president and former national player Randy Villanueva, is slugging it out with Mae Perez, who survived Marianne Hipolito, 7-6, 6-4(5), in the quarters of the event organized by Juntaphil led by president Edward Puno.

Fourth-ranked Miles Vitaliano also won by default over Katrina Penaflor and faces Assumption College’s Camille So, who eased out Meagan Reyes, 6-0, 6-2, in the quarters while second seed Shaina Hope Rivera and No. 8 Maxine Martin hope to get Bea Ocampo and Geanlijah Sagandoy for berths in the quarters at presstime.