Francis Casey Alcantara. Photo from ITFTennis.com
Filipino tennis star Francis Casey Alcantara is set to train alongside fellow national team mainstay and world-ranked player Treat Huey in the United States in the offseason.
Alcantara bared his plans right after winning his third title of the year, partnering with India’s Karunuday Singh to capture the $15,000 Thailand Futures 4 in Hua Hin last Friday.
The 26-year-old from Cagayan de Oro said he plans to train either in Washington DC, which is Huey’s hometown, or in Florida by late November until late December.
His immediate goal, aside from hoisting his world ranking now pegged at 365th, is to get to play doubles with the 33-year-old Huey, who took a hiatus from the national team.
“It was a very tough road for Singh and I because we played good players from the first round to the finals so there was no easy matches,” Alcantara told the Inquirer. “I’m very happy to get my ninth title here in Hua Hin.”
Alcantara is hoping to pick up titles in the next two ITF legs in Hua Hin playing with different partners. For the coming week, he will be paired with Japan’s Shintaro Imai.
He will also play two weeks in Vietnam and two more weeks in Bangkok.
Playing as second seeds, Alcantara and Singh defeated Nutthanon Kadchapanan and Palaphoom Kovapitukted of Thailand, 6-4, 7-5, for the title.
The reached the finals via a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over fourth seeds Pruchya Isaro of Thailand and Canada’s Kelsey Stevenson in the semifinals. They beat Yuichi Ito of Japan and David Agung Susanto of Indonesia in the quarterfinals.