Patrombon revs up netters’ campaign

PALEMBANG – Jeson Patrombon dished out top form, leading Team Philippines’ two victories at the start of the 18th Asian Games tennis championships at the Jakabaring Sports City courts here yesterday.

Patrombon bucked the heat and whipped Timor Leste’s Nazario Gusman, 6-1, 6-0, then teamed up with Francis Alcantara in afternoon play to dispatch Qatar’s Jabar Al Mutawa and Mubarak Zayid, 6-4, 6-2, in men’s doubles.

But the first-time partnership of Alberto Lim Jr. and Marian Jade Capadocia suffered a stinging 4-6, 4-6 loss to the seventh-seeded Indian tandem of Khamran Kaur Thandi and Divij Sharan in the mixed doubles.

Patrombon will next take on Chinese No. 12 seed Wu Yibing, who drew a bye, while he and Alcantara will go up against fourth-seeded Chinese-Taipei squad of Chien Ti and Peng Shin-Yin, who likewise drew a bye, in the next round.

“I hope to gain more confidence from this (singles) win,” said Patrombon, who, however, expects a tougher outing against Wu.

“He’s good,” said Patrombon of his next opponent, currently the world’s No. 1 junior netter and 2017 US Open junior champion.

Once ranked a high No. 7 in the world junior ratings, Patrombon, 26, vowed to fight till the last shot.

Lim, meanwhile, was broken in the fifth games of the first and second sets, paving the way for Indians to fashion out the close decision.

“I hope to rebound in the singles,” said the University of the East tennis standout after the tough match that lasted nearly 90 minutes.