Bourchier, Boulter on target

MANILA, Philippines–Top seeds Harry Bourchier of Australia and Katie Boulter of Britain hurdled pesky foes Friday to march to the semifinals of the boys’ and girls’ singles in the Mitsubishi Lancer international junior tennis championships at Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

Bourchier, ranked 28th in the world and already a doubles winner here last year, banked on his experience competing in pro tournaments to turn back Korean seventh seed Oh Chang-yeong, 6-1, 2-6, 6-1.

He next faces another Korean, fourth seed Kang Ku-keon, who bested sixth seed Nam Hoang Ly, 6-3, 6-3, to advance to the Final Four.

Russian eighth seed Bogdan Bobrov overcame third seed Petar Conkic of Serbia in a grueling first set before coasting to a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 quarterfinal victory.

Bobrov sewed up a duel with the winner between another giant-killer, Mandresy Makotomalala of France, and Rhett Purcell of Britain who were still battling for a semifinal berth at presstime.

In the girls’ singles, 17-year-old Boulter, the world No. 10 who reached the third round of this year’s Australian Open, overcame a lackluster opening set to outlast Ye Qiuyu of China, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.

A finalist in Nonthaburi and a semifinalist in a Sarawak Grade 1 event, Boulter arranged a semifinal clash with No. 3 Kimberly Birrell of Australia, who ousted No. 5 Fil-Am Katrine Isabel Steffensen, 6-3, 6-1.

American Raveena Kingsley, who booted out Filipina Maia Balce in the second round, beat Tami Grende of Indonesia, 6-4, 6-4. She next faces Gloria Liang of Canada, who downed China’s Zheng Wushuang, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.