Patrombon sustains Israel run

Jeson Patrombon knocked off third seed Antal Van der Duim of Netherlands, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, Wednesday to secure only a second men’s circuit quarterfinal berth in the Israel Futures F2 in Eilat.

Playing in what his coach Manny Tecson described as his toughest tourney so far, the tireless Patrombon used his power-packed game to cut down the taller Der Duim to clinch his fifth-straight win in the event counting three matches in the qualifying.

“We cannot let the height factor, or which country they come from, to be the reason why we lose a match,” said Tecson. “The bottom line is we will win and lose in the way we play and our belief in our own abilities and strength to win will be the key to our success in the pros.”

Patrombon will next challenge a fellow upset winner in Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics who toppled fifth seed Ruan Roelofse, 6-4, 6-4.

“This is just the start of the year and I believe we are heading toward the right direction in achieving our goals for this year,” said Tecson who said they are targeting a spot in the top 500 by yearend.

“Match after match our player’s mental strength, game strategies, physical abilities and self-belief are getting stronger and steadier even under heavy pressure in this circuit.”

But Fucsovics will be a tough foe for the 18-year-old Filipino from Iligan City. The 20-year-old Hungarian is a former No. 1 junior in the world and a Wimbledon junior singles champion in 2010. He is currently rated at 578th in the world.

Patrombon, who first reached the quarterfinals of the Thailand Futures last year, is ranked 941 in the world this year.