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Alcantara, partner advance to quarters in Thai tilt

Sports

Alcantara, partner advance to quarters in Thai tilt

By Kristel Satumbaga-Villar

At A Glance

Francis Casey Alcantara and Thai partner Maximus Jones reaffirmed their mastery over Indian pair Rishi Reddy and Dhakshineswar Suresh with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory in the opening round of the sixth leg of the M15 Nakhon Si Thammarat in Thailand on Tuesday, July 16.

Francis Casey Alcantara and Thai partner Maximus Jones reaffirmed their mastery over Indian pair Rishi Reddy and Dhakshineswar Suresh with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory in the opening round of the sixth leg of the M15 Nakhon Si Thammarat in Thailand on Tuesday, July 16.

Screen Shot 2024-07-16 at 2.59.20 PM.png — Francis Casey Alcantara returns a backhand. (Francis Casey Alcantara Facebook)

The top-seeded Alcantara and Jones overcame a close opening set against their hard-serving rivals to advance to the quarterfinals in this $15,000 International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament.

It was a repeat performance for Alcantara and Jones, who had just edged the same Indian rival, 7-6 (7), 6-4, for the title in the previous leg just over the weekend.

Reddy and Suresh unleashed nine aces against three double faults, but Alcantara and Jones found ways to counter their serves and went on to win two breakpoints throughout the match.

Alcantara and Jones’ triumph arranged them a next meeting with the winner between Thais Kasidit Samrej and Pawit Sorniaksup, and Thanaphat Boosarawongse and Poonthong Komopisut, who were playing at press time.

The Filipino-Thai pair have been competing for three straight legs in this tournament, first coming close to a runner-up finish in the fourth leg, before eclipsing its with a title win just a few weeks ago.

Alcantara is currently ranked No. 194 in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) doubles rankings while Jones is at No. 455.

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Francis Casey Alcantara

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