Fil-Spaniard qualifier Diego Dalisay started his title campaign anew in the Phinma International Junior Tennis Championships Week 2 yesterday after advancing in the next round held at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
Born and raised in Madrid to a Filipino mother from San Nicolas, Batangas, Dalisay overcame a second-set challenge from Tsai Chang-Lin before beating his Taiwanese rival, 6-2, 7-5.
The victory earned the 17-year-old netter, who represents the Philippines, a second-round meeting with fifth seed Kazuki Shimizu.
Shimizu, a quarterfinalist in Week 1 of the Grade 4 International Tennis Federation tournament, also survived a tough second frame before beating Indonesia’s Muhammad Althaf Dhaifullah, 6-1, 7-6 (1).
Not so fortunate was local wildcard bet Stephan Lhuillier, who yielded to fellow wildcard entry Giorgio Soemarno of Indonesia, 6-4, 6-1.
Jerome Romualdez also made an early exit following a 6-1, 6-3 defeat against Chinese Taipei’s Chen Ying-Ze, even as Justin Suarez bowed to Korea’s Keonho Shin, 6-4, 6-1.
Currently competing in the boys’ singles are top seed John Bryan Otico, Arthur Craig Pantino, and Jan Godfrey Seno.
Battling in the girls’ side are top seed Khim Iglupas, Janelle Llavore, Frances Santiago, Rafaella Villanueva, Shaira Rivera, Gennifer Pagente, and Monica Cruz.