JOHNNY Arcilla sure knows his way around the shell/clay courts. MARC ANTHONY REYES
Brandishing his good old “bola-bola” (slow, looping) shots, Johnny Arcilla completely flustered his Japanese foe Wednesday.
The 35-year-old Filipino veteran took the sting out of Yukei Fukuoka’s power game to advance to the second round of the PSC-Philta International Men’s Futures Open at Valle Verde Country Club shell courts in Pasig City.
“He’s so strong, so I tried to return with lobs to disrupt his rhythm,” said Arcilla, the eight-time PCA Open champion and undisputed local king of the slow, slippery surface after his 6-0, 6-2 victory.
And Fukuoka never got his rhythm as Arcilla, on semi-retirement after a long stay in the United States, hit looping shots deep into the baseline that prevented the Japanese from making flat, power returns.
Arcilla engaged the Japanese in lengthy exchanges all through the 35-minute match before clinching points with drop-slice shots that Fukuoka found difficult to chase down.
But the Filipino needs to do better than virtually toy with his foe in the next round: He is up against top seed and world No. 355 Enrique Lopez-Perez of Spain.
“Let’s see if it works again tomorrow,” said Arcilla.
Perez advanced with a 6-1, 6-2 demolition of another Japanese, Shu Saito, in the first round of this $15,000, 12-nation tournament.
Arcilla was joined in the second round by 2009 Australian Open boys doubles co-champion Francis Casey Alcantara, who bested good friend Elbert Anasta, 6-1, 6-3.
Alcantara next clashes with Japan’s Hiromasa Oku, who got through with a 6-1, 6-2 whipping of Filipino Kyle Dandan last Tuesday.
Davis Cupper Jeson Patrombon likewise faces an uphill battle in the second round as he tangles with Japanese third seed Kento Takeuchi, who downed Filipino-Spaniard Diego Garcia Dalisay, 6-2, 7-5, late yesterday.