Top seed Jeson Patrombon and doubles partner No. 2 Vicente Anasta rolled past their respective rivals in contrasting fashions while Loucas Fernandez stunned No. 5, Noel Damian Jr., to advance to the quarterfinal round of the PPS-PEPP Fr. Fernando Suarez Open Championships at the Brent Tennis Center in Biñan, Laguna last weekend.
Patrombon scored an abbreviated 1-0 ret. win over Eurydice Gaspar to arrange a Last 8 duel with No. 7 Rodolfo Barquin while Anasta ripped Marcen Gonzales, 6-1, 6-3, to set up a faceoff with qualifier Julian Dayrit in the lower bracket of the 32-player men’s singles draw.
Barquin also stamped his class over Jules Lazaro, coming away with a 6-1, 6-0 romp while Dayrit gained with a 1-0 ret. win over Ivan Torrecampo in the two-weekend tournament highlighting the start of the second half of the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala tennis season.
Other quarterfinalists were third-ranked Fritz Verdad, who crushed Robin Santiago, 6-0, 6-0; No. 6 Leander Lazaro, who got past John Altiche, 3-1 ret.; fourth seed Mark Alcoseba, who also scored a 1-0 ret. victory over Roy Tan.
Fernandez, on the other hand, held his ground against Damian and carved out a 6-4, 6-3 decision although he will have his hands full against Verdad for a shot at the semis in the event held in honor of healing priest Fr. Suarez, a tennis buff, and sanctioned by the Unified Tennis Philippines made up of PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg.
Meanwhile, Patrombon and Anasta also moved in the quarters in doubles play and will face the Fernandez-Joseph Victorino pair next, while the top-seeded Alcoseba and Damian will take on Ambrose Besas and Jeremiah Macias III for a spot in the Final Four.
Joey Koh and Keff Gamana outlasted Robin Santiago and Robert de Guzman, 8-7(3) to seal a title clash with Tan-Victorino, who routed Jonathan Miranda and Altiche, 8-3, in the pro-am side of the event.
In the Legends doubles, Aldrin Geluz and Nasser Mortiga clobbered Henry Escalante and Jackie Tomacruz, 8-3, to capture the 50-and-above title while Eddie Gomez and Roy Tan nipped Efren Coros Jr. and Rico Hundana, 8-7(6), and Jonathan Bernardo and Jonathan Miranda also escaped with an 8-7(7) win in the semis of the 40-and-above division.
