Pantino advances in Phinma-PSC juniors tourney

FILE: Filipino Junior Tennis Player Arthur Craig Pantino (Photo: Arthur Craig Pantino/Facebook)

MANILA — Second seed Arthur Craig Pantino defeated Malaysian Jiang Keong Takeshi Koey, 6-1, 6-0, late Tuesday afternoon to reach the second round of the ongoing Phinma-PSC International Juniors 1 at the Manila Polo Club indoor clay court in Makati City.

Pantino’s victory sent him up against Japanese Nowa Matsubayashi, who prevailed over Filipino Manuel Balce III, 6-3, 6-3.

Joining Pantino in the next round are compatriots Michael Francis Eala, Matthew Garcia, Justin Suarez, and wild card Jose Amon Tria.

The fifth-seeded Eala demolished Laotian qualifier Phathikone Kanyaphan, 6-0, 6-0; Garcia eliminated No. 7 Chinese Zheng Sida, 7-5, 6-2; Suarez outclassed Hong Kong’s Man San Chan, 6-1, 6-0; and Tria downed Hong Kong’s Kyle Lok Yin Tan, 6-3, 6-2.

Eala will next meet Japanese Kei Manaka, who won over Filipino qualifier Rucel Cero, 7-6 (3), 6-1, while Garcia will be up against Japanese Ryota Ishii, a 6-1, 6-0 winner over Indonesian Jerall Yasin.

Suarez will face No. 4 Indonesian Odeda Muhammad Arazza, who rallied past Chinese Xie Yu Lun, and Tria will take on Taiwanese Kung Chun Jui, who ousted No. 8 Malaysian Darrshan Suresh, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Also booking second-round berths were top seed Japanese Shunsuke Mitsui, No. 3 Japanese Taiyo Yamanaka and No. 6 Malaysian Shamirul Shahril Mohd Adam Das.

Mitsui blasted Filipino wild card Marco Ayala, 6-0, 6-0, to advance against American Jericho Grollman, a 6-4, 6-1 winner over Filipino wild card Marcus del Rosario.

Yamanaka defeated Filipino qualifier Stephen Lhuillier, 6-0, 6-1, to advance against Singaporean Justin Oeni, who clobbered Filipino Virgilio Armando Bejosano, 6-0, 6-0.

Mohd Adam Das won over Filipino Joseph Gabriel Tiamson, 6-3, 6-2, to arrange a second-round showdown with Japanese Mikihisa Matsusaki, who conquered Filipino qualifier Loucas Julian Fernandez, 6-4, 6-2.