By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Francis Casey Alcantara and American Evan King survived the Indian duo pf Niki Kalinyanda Poonacha and Saketh Myeni, 6-4, 4-6, 10-8, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Bangkok Open 2 in Thailand on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
The unseeded pair recovered from a second-set meltdown, took a 7-4 lead in the deciding third set and finally shrugging off their rivals’ final push to prevail in one hour and 21 minutes.
“First match and first win of the year,” Alcantara wrote on his social media moments after the victory.
The triumph sent Alcantara and King to a quarters date with Japanese tandem Seita Watanabe and Takeru Suzuki, who stunned German top seeds Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner, 4-6, 6-3, 10-4.
The two pairs have never faced each other on the court, but on paper, Evan holds the highest Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) doubles rankings among the four at No. 78, compared to Watanabe and Suzuki at Nos. 173 and 145, respectively.
Alcantara is ranked No. 227.
The said ATP Challenger 75 event, which stakes a total prize of $100,000, is just one of the many tournaments lined up for Alcantara as he bids his first-ever title in the Challenger Tour. He has so far won 25 doubles crowns in the Futures Tour of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
