Pantino, partner win Perlis Jr meet

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

Pantino and Zhukayev, the topseeded pair in the Grade 4 tournament, posted an easy 6-2, 6-1 victory over seventh seeds Christian Didier Chin and Naufal Siddiq Kamaruzzaman of Malaysia in the gold-medal match.

The Filipino-Kazakh duo barged into the final round by ousting fourth picks Taiwanese Lin Han-Chih and Wang Cheng-Chieh via a thrilling 75, 3-6, 10-6 decision.

They also clobbered the six-ranked tandem of Dylan Heap of New Zealand and Zhao Run Yu of China in their quarterfinals (6-4, 6-0); and Filipino Michael Francis Eala and Marlon Magkoutas of Sweden in the second round, 6-1, 6-0.

Pantino and Zhukayev drew an opening-round bye.

In boys’ singles, Pantino succumbed to Kim Ju of South Korea, 46, 3-6, in the quarterfinals.

It was Pantino’s first title this year in the ITF circuit.

Meanwhile, former Australian Open juniors doubles champion Francis Casey Alcantara bowed out of contention in the Hutchinson Builders Toowoomba International held at the Toowoomba Regional Tennis Centre in Queensland, Australia.

The 25-year old Cagayan de Oro City native lost to Australian Benjamin Mitchell in the first round of the men’s singles.

Alcantara partnered with Australian Jason Kubler but suffered a 3-6, 5-7 defeat to Scott Puodziunas of Australia and Sem Verbeek of the Netherlands in the opening round.