By Ramon Rafael Bonilla
FRANCIS CASEY ALCANTARA kept the country’s hopes alive as he barged into the doubles finals with Indonesian partner Christopher Rungkat in the $75,000 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger Philippine Open 2016 on Friday at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
Alcantara and Rungkat reached the finals after the Ratiwatana twins—Sonchat and Sonchai—from Thailand withdrew from their semifinals duel.
“They have a family-related problem and it is urgent,” Ronald Herfel, ATP Challenger Tour supervisor, said.
The fourth-seeded Ratiwatana brothers of Thailand dispatched Croatians Dino Marcan and Nikola Mektic, 6-4, 6-4, while Alcantara and Rungkat disposed of Marco Chiudinelli of Switzerland and Lukas Lacko of Sweden, 6-3, 6-2, in the quarterfinals.
Alcantara and Rungkat will square off with the winner of the semifinal match between Swede Johan Brunstrom and Dane Frederik Nielsen and Austrian Maximilian Neuchrist and Indian Divij Sharan.
Japan’s Go Soeda, a 17-time ATP tour winner, meanwhile, beat Frenchman David Guez, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, and will face in the singles semifinals Chiudinelli, who beat unseeded Zhe Li of China, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), also on Friday.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes