Fil-German hangs tough in Smart-ITF

MANILA, Philippines—Wiped out.

The country’s budding tennis stars bowed out of the running Thursday, leaving the fight to Fil-German Katharina Lehnert who reached the quarterfinals of the Smart-ITF Women’s Circuit Week 1 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

Lehnert, the 18-year-old seventh seed from Hanover who dreams of someday representing the Philippines in international competitions, struggled past Rio Kitagawa of Japan, 6-7 (7-5), 6-4, 6-4.

Her victory somehow eased the shock of the early exit of homegrown talents Anna Clarice Patrimonio, Marian Jade Capadocia and Tamitha Nguyen.

Patrimonio, the country’s top-ranked netter, bowed to third seed Peangtarn Plipuech, 6-1, 6-2, while Capadocia yielded to Sylvia Krywacz of the United States, 6-4, 6-1.
Nguyen, daughter of former national team mainstay Edna Olivarez, forged a deciding set but eventually lost steam in a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 decision from Indonesia’s Rishika Sunkara,

The three Filipinos will try their luck in the second week of the tourney next week.

Kitagawa used her flair and powerful backhand to fluster the blue-eyed Lehnert in the first set, but the Fil-German, last year’s semifinalist, slowly found her rhythm to hack out the win.

Lehnert, whose mother Imelda immigrated to Germany from La Union, will next face Krywacz in the next round.

“I came out sluggish in the first set, but good thing I managed to adjust. It’s getting tougher and tougher every day so I hope to be in good condition,” added Lehnert.