INQUIRER Sports

JESON PATROMBON MADE IT TO THE semifinals for the second straight week, ousting American Mitchel Krueger, 6-2, 6-1, Friday in the 15th Sarawak Chief Minister?s Cup-ITF World Junior tennis championships in Kuching, Malaysia.

The 17-year-old from Iligan City advanced against Australian James Duckworth, who bundled out American Campbell Johnson, 6-1, 6-4.

Fast and aggressive, Patrombon overwhelmed the American, who eliminated No. 3 seed Dominic Thiem of Austria in the third round.

?Krueger is the type of player who does everything well but he has no particular weapon or specialty that can hurt you,? said Patrombon?s coach, former RP Davis Cupper and non-playing captain Manny Tecson in an e-mail.

The American found no antidote to the Filipino?s attacking style of play, which Tecson said Patrombon developed while playing in Thailand last week.

?Our goal was to make the quarterfinals of the Grade 1 tournaments we will participate,? said Tecson. ?But we made the semifinals in two tournaments so far.?

Patrombon is up against a mean foe in Duckworth, who made the quarterfinals of the recent Australian Open junior singles.

?Tomorrow will surely be a fight,? said Tecson. ?But I believe that with the way Jeson is playing right now, he can take on anybody.?