PANTINO, PARTNER ENTER PERLIS SEMIS

FILIPINO Arthur Craign Pantino and Kazakh partner Beibit Zhukayev reached the semifinals of the 1st Perlis International Tennis Federation ( ITF) Junior Championship boys’ doubles being held at the Tuanku Syed Putra Tennis Complex hard court in Kangar, Perlis in Malaysia.

The top-seeded pair of Pantino and Zhukayev needed less than an hour to oust the six-ranked tandem of Dylan Heap of New Zealand and Zhao Run Yu of China, 64, 6-0, in their quarterfinal match.

Pantino and Zhukayev arranged a Final Four meeting with fourth picks Taiwanese Lin Han- Chih and Wang Cheng- Chieh, a 7- 6 ( 2), 6- 4 winner over unheralded Malaysian duo Danial Ahmad Farid and Shamirul Shahril Mohd Adam Das.

Earlier, Pantino and Zhukayev trounced Filipino Michael Francis Eala and Marlon Magkoutas of Sweden in the second round, 6-1, 6-0. They had an opening-round bye.

Playing in the other semifinal pairing are seventh seeds Christian Didier Chin and Naufal Siddiq Kamaruzzaman of Malaysia, and eighth seeds Herman Hoeyeraal of Norway and Rikard Raad of Sweden, who stunned their respective fancied foes.

Chin and Kamaruzzaman shocked second picks Ki Lung Ng of Hong Kong and Zhou Xinmu of China, 7-5, 7-6 (1), while Hoeyeraal and Raad survived No. 3 Kim Dong Ju of South Korea and Lu Pengyu of China via a thrilling 7-6 (2), 6-7 (2), 10-3 decision.

In singles, Pantino earned a firstround bye then beat Hiroki Fujita of Japan in the second round, 7- 6 ( 4), 6- 1, and Zhao Run of China in the third round, 6- 3, 6- 3, before losing to Kim Ju of South Korea, 4- 6, 3- 6.