Alcantara whips foe, cruises into 4th round

Former top junior netter Francis Casey Alcantara continued his rampage as he beat Joel Atienza in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, to barge into the fourth round of the 34th Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Open-Cebuana Lhuillier Wildcard Event yesterday at the PCA claycourt in Paco, Manila.

The seventh-seeded Alcantara held his serve all throughout the 54minute match as he baffled his rival with his vast repertoire of shots to move into the next phase with nary a trouble.

“Malakas siyang mag-serve, so ang ginawa ko lang puro hold lang ako ng serve ko hanggang sa nakakita na ako ng advantage sa huli,” said the 23-year-old Alcantara, who won the Australian Open junior doubles title in 2009.

Defending champion PJ Tierro also cruised to the next round, beating Neil Tangalin, 6-1, 6-1, even as eight-time winner Johnny Arcilla dispatched Abson John Alejandre, 6-1, 6-0.

Arcilla’s win set him up a meeting with Arthur Craig Pantino, a 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 winner over Kyle Parpan.

Alcantara broke Atienza’s serve three times but needed two match points in the final game to seal the win.

The pride Cagayan de Oro will face either Kristian Tesorio or 12th pick Roel Capangpangan in the fourth round.

No. 5 Rolando Ruel Jr., bucked a slow start to pull off a 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Leander Lazaro.

Noel Damian Jr. also marched into the next round by claiming the scalp of 15th seed Arcie Mano, 6-7 (8), 6-1, 6-2.

Damian and Mano fought furiously in the opening round, trading huge shots to the delight of a small crowd.

Though he lost the tightly-contested set, Damian recovered remarkably, dropping only three games the rest of the way.

Tenth pick Fritz Verdad dodged the upset bid of Mart Cabahug with a dominant show in the second and third sets for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-0.

The day turned out to be a lucky one for Stefan Suarez as he won by default over ninth seed Marc Reyes.