Palembang – Former top junior netter Jeson Patrombon was in vintage form on Sunday, starring in the country’s twin victories at the start of the 18th Asian Games tennis championships at the Jakabaring Sports City courts here.
Under a sweltering sun, Patrombon opened the country’s campaign in the men’s singles with a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Timor Leste’s Nazario Fernandez Gusmao then teamed up with Francis Casey Alcantara in the afternoon in dispatching Qatar’s Jabar Al Mutawa and Mubarak Zayid, 6-4, 6-2, in doubles’ play.
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 be up against Chinese No. 12 seed Wu Yibing, who drew a bye, in the next round, while he and Alcantara will face the fourth-seeded Chinese Taipei squad of Chien Ti and Peng Shin-Yin, who likewise drew a bye, in the succeeding round.
“Masaya po ako dahil nakapagbigay kumpiyansa itong singles na panalo sa akin. Kilala ko yong makakalaban kong Chinese. Magaling siya,” said Patrombon in referring to Wu, 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 “basta lalaban ako.”Lim was broken in the fifth games of the first and second sets, paving the way for Indians to fashion out the close decision.“Babawi na lang po ako sa singles,” said the University of the East tennis standout after the tough match that lasted nearly 90 minutes.“For a first-time partnership, AJ (Lim’s nickname) and Jade pretty well,” noted Cuarto. “But they were up a veteran tandem who knew how to play the bigger points.”