Patrombon routs foe in first singles

Jeson Patrombon made short work of Abdulrahman Alawadi, winning eight straight games before allowing the Kuwaiti No. 2 to score and then gave up only two more games as the Cebuana Lhuillier Philippine team took a 1-0 lead in the Asia Oceania Zone Group II tie at the Valle Verde courts in Pasig City.

Though Patrombon admitted he felt some butterflies just before the match, he started to feel comfortable after winning three straight games and then blanking the Kuwaiti in the first set for an easy 6-0, 6-2, 6-1 win.

“Pressured talaga ako noong pagpasok ko sa court, pero after kong maglead ng 3-0, dun ko na nakuha yung kumpiyansa ko,” said the 22-year- old Patrombon, who had been training at Hope Tennis Academy in Taiwan for the last few years.

Patrombon never dropped a serve in the match, and further showcased his best form in the third frame when he rallied from a 0- 1 start by winning the next six games for the match victory.

“Hindi siya masyadong comfortable sa rally so hindi ko rin siya masyadong inaatake,” said Patrombon.

Fil-American netter Ruben Gonzales plays veteran Mohammad Ghareeb at presstime with hopes of giving the PH team a commanding 2-0 start in this three-day affair.

Today’s doubles pit Grand Slam regular Treat Huey and former Australian Open junior doubles champion Francis Casey Alcantara against Ghareeb and Abdulhamid Mubarak.

Team manager and Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) Chairman Jean Henri Lhuillier also praised Patrombon’s performance, adding that the former top junior local player has matured in his game.