INQUIRER Sports

THE PHILIPPINES GOT OFF TO AN inauspicious start Tuesday in the Phinma Juniors Tennis International Week 1 tournament at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

Filipino netters Patricia Jay Orteza, Marian Jane Capadocia and Tamitha Nguyen fell by the wayside in the wake of tough foreign opposition, leaving the Patrimonio sisters, Anna Christine and Anna Clarice, to carry the fight for the country.

Orteza suffered a heartbreaking 6-3, 4-6, 4-6 loss to Thailand?s Nahathnai Khuntaket; Capadocia took a 2-6, 1-6 drubbing at the hands of top seed Yuki Ito of Japan, and the Filipino-American Nguyen absorbed a 1-6, 0-6 defeat at the hands of Chinese qualifier Xhao Qiangian.

Anna Christine was playing Japanese Riko Sawayanagi while younger sister Anna Clarice was battling another Japan bet, qualifier Sari Baba, at presstime.
The prospects for the country look good in the tougher boys? division, where Australian Open juniors doubles champion Francis Casey Alcantara assumed the top seeding following the last-minute withdrawal of Hsieh Cheng-peng of Taiwan, who is, interestingly, Alcantara?s partner when they won the grand slam crown early this year.
The superbly conditioned Alcantara was to play Jun Nan Tao of China yesterday.

Another Filipino, Akio Sy, dropped a 0-6, 4-6 decision to South Korean Hyo Chung Woo in the first round.
The lone reversal of the first round in the highly comopetitive girls? division came courtesy of unseeded Belgian Justin de Sutter, who bundled out fourth seed Egyptian Rana Sherif Ahmed, 6-3, 2-6, 6-0, to forge a second round showdown with Khuntaket.
In other matches, Trang Huynh Phuong Dai of Vietnam prevailed over Rona Lavian, 6-3, 6-1, of Israel while Anna Tyulpa of Russia smashed Israel?s Valeria Patiuk, 6-1, 7-6 (3) to move into the next round along with Lietchenstein?s Kathinka Von Deichmann, who ousted Thailand?s Rongrong Leenabanchong, 6-3, 6-2.