INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino tennis sensation Francis Casey Alcantara bowed out in the first round of Wimbledon following a 2-6, 6-4, 3-6 loss against Austria?s Maximilian Neuchrist in the boys? singles event on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

Alcantara, seeded No. 27 in the junior world rankings, will now focus on his bid for a second Grand Slam in his pet event, the boys? doubles, five months after his historic win in the Australian Open.

Alcantara and Neuchrist, both 17 years old, posted a 74 winning percentage on first serves, but the 65th-ranked Austrian made 52 percent against the Filipino?s 44 in second serves, according to results posted at the official Wimbledon website

Alcantara rose to prominence as the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam event after pairing with Taiwanese Cheng Peng-hsieh for the boys doubles title of the Australian Open last January.

Alcantara, already with five doubles titles this year, and Hsieh reached the second round of the recent French Open, but the pair had another championship stint in the 45th Astrid Bowl Charleloi International Junior Championships in Belgium.