Alcantara, partner reach ATP finals in China
At A Glance
- Veteran Francis Casey Alcantara and Thai partner Pruchya Isaro stamped their class and scored a 6-4, 6-3, victory over Chinese Taipei's Yu Hsiou and China's Sun Fajing to book their ticket to the finals of the Zhangjiagang International Challenger in China Friday, Aug. 30.
Veteran Francis Casey Alcantara and Thai partner Pruchya Isaro stamped their class and scored a 6-4, 6-3, victory over Chinese Taipei’s Yu Hsiou and China’s Sun Fajing to book their ticket to the finals of the Zhangjiagang International Challenger in China Friday, Aug. 30.
Alcantara and Isaro dictated the pace in the 1 and a half hour match, thanks to their precise hits and chemistry, which eventually carried them to the win and inch them one win away from the doubles title of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) competition.
The Filipino-Thai duo currently plays Kaichi Uchida and Takeru Yuzuki at press time, after the Japanese pair survived Belarus’ Mikalai Haliak and Slovakia’s Lukas Pokorny, 7-6 (9), 6-3.
Tied at 1-all in the first frame, Alcantara and Isaro shifted their gears as they took the next three games for a 4-1 lead and eventually secured the set despite a comeback attempt from Hsiou and Sun.
The Filipino-Thai team’s onslaught continued in the second set, where their rival couldn’t answer after earning a 5-2 advantage.
Prior to their final entry, Alcantara and Isaro dismantled Australia’s Ajeet Rai and Finn Reynolds, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 10-6) in the quarterfinals, and the Japanese pair of Rio Noguchi and Seita Watanabe, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 10-7, in the Round of 16.
With the triumph, Alcantara, the Asian Games bronze medalist, bolstered his bid for 26th overall and fourth doubles crown this year.