Patrombon hurdles 1st-round foe; Tierro exits

JESON Patrombon serving in 2nd set. Photo by Marc Reyes

Philippine team stalwarts Jeson Patrombon and Patrick John Tierro met contrasting fates Tuesday at the start of the PSC-Philta International Men’s Futures Open at Valle Verde Country Club shell courts in Pasig City.

Patrombon ousted Chinese Taipei’s Liang Wen-chu, 7-5, 6-0, to advance, but another Taiwanese, Hung Jui-chen, eliminated Tierro, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3, in the $15,000 tournament.

Eighth seed Hiromasa Oku of Japan also eliminated another local hope, wild-card entry Kyle Dandan, 6-1, 6-3.

Three more Filipinos—Johnny Arcilla, Elbert Anasta and Francis Casey Alcantara—will see action in the continuation of first round action today.

Patrombon wasted a 3-0 advantage in the opening sent and dropped a serve in the 10th game that boosted Liang’s confidence for a while.

“I was very stiff in the first round. I got too much on my mind because this is the opening match,” said the 22-year-old Patrombon in Filipino. “But fortunately, I was able to get into my game soon enough.”

Patrombon, who is now with Taiwan-based Hope Tennis Academy, then unlocked a new aspect in his game—the net attack. On his way to break for 4-0 in the second, the Iligan-born netter dashed against a smooth drop shot from Liang, slid through the shell courts and sliced.

“He has to do that if he wants to win in big tournaments,” said his coach, HTA head mentor Marcel Petit. “He’s not tall and not that strong, so he has to attack and not wait in the baseline all the time.”

Ranked 1,209th, Patrombon will next take on either Filipino-Spaniard Diego Garcia-Dalisay or Japanese third seed Kento Takeuchi in the meet organized by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Tennis Association, Pioneer Insurance, Babolat, Asian Tennis Federation and Philta president Mayor Edwin Olivarez of Parañaque.

Tierro bounced back in the second set, but all his efforts went for naught as he soon got too exhausted to fire back in the third against the visibly fitter Hung.

Arcilla debuts today against Yusei Fukuoka, while Alcantara and Anasta collide in the first round of the event supported by Palm Rock Hotel, Sweet Valley, TCU Aircon sales and services, Globe, Beginnings Baby Products, The Henry Hotel, ROCD Roofworks and IPTL (International Premier Tennis League).

Second seed Henry Bourchier of Australia and Japanese Issei Okamura and Katsugi Nagao also hurdled their respective assignments.

Bourchier drubbed Japanese Magato Shiga, 6-0, 6-1, while Okamura shocked fifth seed Vinayak Sharma Kaza of India, 5-7, 6-0, 6-1.
Nagao eliminated Lin Wei-de of Chinese Taipei, 6-4, 6-2.