Lu stops Fil-German in Smart-ITF week 1 semis

MANILA, Philippines—Chinese Lu Jianxiang ended the run of Filipino-German Katharina Lehnert with an emphatic 6-1, 6-2 win in the semifinals of the Smart-ITF Women’s circuit Week 1 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

Lu, ranked 736th in the world and looking for her first title this year, arranged a title showdown with Thai Peantarn Plipuech, who booted out her top-seeded compatriot Luksika Kumkhum, 6-4, 6-1.

The finals is set at 9 a.m. Sunday.

The 22-year-old Lu flashed a solid forehand in dominating the 18-year-old Lehnert, the remaining survivor among the locals. She bundled out her twin sister and fifth seed Lu Jianjing, 6-2, 6-4, in the quarterfinals.

Peantarn, ranked 428th, made it to the finals for the second time this year after finishing as runner-up in the $25,000 ITF tourney in Bangkok last May.

Lu, who hails from Liaoning, also placed second in another $10,000 ITF event in Kuching, Malaysia, early this month.

Peantarn and Luksika, the top seeds in the doubles, upheld their status by downing the Chinese pair of Zhao Yijing and Zheng Junyi, 6-4, 6-0, to claim the crown.

The tall and blonde Lehnert, whose mother hails from La Union, became the toast of the local crowd after the elimination of Anna Clarice Patrimonio, Tamitha Nguyen and Marian Jade Capadocia.

But she proved no match for Lu, who left her opponent on the defensive all match long.

The event is backed by the International Tennis Federation, Philippine Tennis Association, Smart Sports, International Terminal Container Service Inc., Phinma, Head, Viva Mineral Water, Powerade, Chris Sports and Philippine Sports Commission.