Victorino, Santos reach finals

Fancied Joseph Victorino and Ana Patricia Santos downed their respective foes in contrasting fashion yesterday and swept into the finals of the P200,000 Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) Open at the Olivarez Sports Center in Parañaque.

Playing awesome, perfect tennis, the top-ranked Victorino overwhelmed the third-seeded Johnny Arcilla in a dominating 6-0, 6-0 victory before a shocked Saturday crowd that was expecting an exciting match.

So overpowering was the 19-year-old reigning PCA Open champion that Arcilla was taken aback as early as the opening set that set the stage for the ghastly rout. Even Victorino, a Lleyton Hewitt fan, himself was surprised with the lopsided result.

"Nagulat ako dahil hindi ko talaga ine-expect na ganito kadali ang magiging panalo ko," said Victorino, who has trained rigidly in Southwoods for this week-long event under coach Manny Tecson.

"Siguro I was just more focused than him (Arcilla) kaya ganito ang nangyari," he added.

What the Victorino-Arcilla match failed to produce, the duel between top seed Ana Patricia Santos and teen sensation Bien Zoleta of Lucena City did in the women’s side.

Santos, a 22-year-old charmer who is a graduating Home Economics student at the University of the Philippines, overcame an opening set meltdown with a steady baseline game in the final two sets to turn back Zoleta, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-1, in a game that lasted two hours and five minutes.

Taking on Lucena City-based Zoleta, the youngest participant in the tournament at 13 years old, for the first time, Santos blew a 6-4 lead in the first set tiebreak with a double fault to trail by a set.

From there, the beauteous, long-legged Federation Cup-bound netter was a different person as she dazzled the youthful Zoleta with an array of shots to take control and the game.

"I was playing so tight in the first set because I was really trying to adjust to her (Zoleta) game," said Santos, who is a daughter of former sports editor, Vergel. "Fortunately I kept my cool and got my game going in the last two sets."

Next stop for Arcilla is No. 2 Adelo Abadia, who bucked pain from his right elbow by edging power-hitting Alexander Lazaro, 7-5, 7-5, while Santos faces fellow Fed Cupper Alyssa Labay, a 6-4, 6-1 winner over No. 8 Michelle Panis.