Iglupas, Pantino gain semis

Last year’s champion Khim Iglupas and Arthur Craig Pantino crushed their rivals yesterday to emerge the only surviving Filipinos in the PSC-Phinma International Juniors Tennis Championships Week 1 at Manila Polo Club in Makati City.

Iglupas, who won the Week 1 girls’ singles title last year, drubbed Japan’s Anri Nagata, 6-2, 6-4, to advance against 2014’s Week 2 champ Ayumi Miyamoto of Japan. Miyamoto clobbered  Chinese Ying Yi Yang, 6-3, 6-3.

Pantino stunned compatriot John Bryan Otico, 6-4, 6-4, to reach the semifinals in boys’ singles of the Grade 4 tourney.

Iglupas, Pantino and Otico, all from De La Salle Zobel, are part of the Philippine Tennis Academy stable.

Pantino will next face second seed Jeong Yeong-seok  of Korea, who trounced James Trotter of Japan, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-1, in the meet sponsored by Phinma Group of Companies and the Philippine Sports Commission.

No. 1 pick Naoki Tajima stopped Alester Magalit, 6-0, 4-6, 6-1, to set a semifinal date with Taiwanese Ho Ju-lee, a 6-3, 6-2 victor over No. 4 pick Kittirat Kedlaphee of Thailand.