Maika Tanpoco last PH bet in Phinma junior tennis

MANILA, Philippines—Maika Jae Tanpoco downed second-seeded Japanese Sanae Ohta, 6-2, 6-3, Friday and reached the semifinals as the only surviving local netter in the Phinma International Juniors Championships Week 1 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

The 17th seed Tanpoco, 16, used a steady baseline game to cut down Ohta’s advantage in size and experience and arrange a semifinal showdown with sixth seed Nastassia Rubel of Belarus, who pulled the rug from under fourth seed Dina Karina of Indonesia, 6-2, 6-1.

A runnerup in Vietnam last October, Tanpoco gets another crack at the title even as Tamitha Nguyen, Marian Jade Capadocia and last year’s week 2 champion Jurence Zosimo Mendoza got the boot.

Mendoza dropped a tight 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 decision to fifth seed Taiwanese Yu Chen-yu, who will face eighth seed Tristan Meraut of France, a 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 winner over second seed Lee Li-lun of Chinese Taipei, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Nguyen bowed to Japanese Miki Kobayashi, 6-2, 6-3, at center court while Capadocia, who upset top seed Kanina Vaidya of Indonesia, 6-1, 6-1, in the second round, fell to Eden Silva of Great Britain, 7-5, 6-2.

Silva and Kobayashi will collide in the other semifinal match.