THE PHILIPPINES’ Khim Iglupas completed her meteoric rise to the top by blasting Indonesian Rifanty Kahfiani, 6-2, 6-4, yesterday to capture the girls’ singles crown of the Phinma-PSC International Juniors Tennis Championships—Week 1 at Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila.
Iglupas used her vast arsenal of shots to fluster the Indonesian, breaking her rival’s serve in the seventh game of the second set to bag her first-ever title in the tourney.
Until yesterday, the closest she got to the title in the event came last year when she made the quarterfinals. Her breakthrough win was the first for a Filipino since 2012, when Marian Jade Capadocia won the title.
Sharing the spotlight in the ITF Grade 4 event was Toru Horie of Japan, who bested compatriot Yunosuke Tanaka, 6-2, 7-5, for the boys’ singles title.
Iglupas dropped just one set in her dominant run to the title and she is expected to assume the top seeding in the Week 2 of the tournament sponsored by the Phinma Group of Companies, Philippine Sports Commission and Mariposa Foundation.
The Philippine Tennis Academy standout, who has received scholarship offers from several schools in the United States, came out aggressively and played with minimum errors against Kahfiani, as instructed by coach Jun Toledo.
Meanwhile, Jacob Martin rallied past Japan’s Kentaro Ochiai, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-0, and fellow Filipino age-grouper Manuel Balce III outlasted Korean Lee Yoon-hak, 7-6 (2), 7-5, in the boys’ singles qualifying round for Week 2. Marc Anthony Reyes