NIKOLA Milojevic of Serbia ended Jurence Zosimo Mendoza’s fairy tale run when he fashioned out a 7-6 (7-1), 6-0 triumph over the last of the Filipino campaigners yesterday to reach the boys’ singles finals of the Mitsubishi Lancer international junior tennis championships at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
The top-seeded Serbian exploited Mendoza’s weak backhand to force a tiebreak in the first set from 5-6, then completely outclassed the 15-year-old Filipino in the next set to wrap up the rout in one hour and 10 minutes.
“I kind of had a low energy because of the heat, so I let things cool down and try to take the set into a tiebreak,” said Milojevic after Mendoza broke his serve at 5-5 and held for 5-6. “I play better in tiebreaks.”
“But I guess I have more experience than him and played more matches than him. I’m also much older than him,” said Milojevic, 16, who is coming from an ITF Grade 1 title in Kuching, Malaysia and third-round finish in the Australian Open.
Milojevic, who won two Grade 2 ITF events in Xiamen and Beijing last year, will face 11th seed Jordan Thompson of Australia, who demolished Thai Krittin Koaykul, 6-0, 6-1, in the other semifinals.
In the girls’ singles, Australian qualifier Storm Sanders continued her string of upset wins after crushing 11th seed Nao Hibino of Japan, 6-4, 6-4.
Sanders, 17, who shocked top seed Elizaveta Kulichkova of Russia, 6-3, 6-3, in the second round, will take on fourth seed Anna Tyulpa of Russia in the finals. Tyulpa pulled the rug from under second seed Carol Zhao of Canada, 6-4, 6-3, in the other semis.
Milojevic, who has not given up a set so far in the tourney, tried to rush things down with his serve-and-volley game in the first set, breaking in the 7th game for 4-3 and holding serve for 5-3.
But Mendoza pulled himself together and won the next three games to take a 6-5 lead before the Serbian changed tactics by repeatedly challenging the Filipino’s backhand.
Milojevic scored all his points in the tiebreak off the Filipino’s unforced errors.