Jeson zeroes in on Top 10

MANILA, Philippines –  Jeson Patrombon’s quarterfinal showing in the Australian Open juniors boys’ singles event will likely land him into the Top 10 of the world rankings and further boost his confidence as he vies both in the juniors and men’s circuits later on.

“Before coming to Australia for these tournaments, our objective was to make the quarterfinals in singles of a Grand Slam and to break the Top 10 rankings in the world. Both goals have been achieved because of this quarterfinal result in the Aussie Open and Jeson will now barge in the Top 10 rankings by next week,” said coach Manny Tecson.

At present, Patrombon is ranked 12th in the International Tennis Federation juniors list but he’s expected to go up by at least two notches after earning substantial ranking points with this Last 8 appearance.

The 17-year-old Patrombon dished out his best performance in a Grand Slam event in Melbourne, hurdling his first three opponents before bowing to George Morgan of Britain, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3, in a gruelling three and a half hour battle for a semis berth.

“The Australian Open also gave us the confidence and the belief that anything is possible if you work hard and not fear your opponents. These players like Morgan, who has been playing really solid tennis since last year after he won the Junior Wimbledon doubles and winning the tough and prestigious Orange Bowl in Florida, can be beaten,” said Tecson.

“Now we have gained a lot of respect from our top rivals and who knows what can happen in the last three remaining Grand Slams this year,” he added.

Under their plan, Patrombon will devote 60 percent of his time in juniors competitions and the rest in his debut in the men’s tournaments.

After the Aussie netfest, though, Tecson said Patrombon will have to see a doctor to remove a small portion of the wart that was operated on before but is still imbedded on his foot. He will have to skip the $10,000 men’s future tournaments this February in Turkey.

But he is expected to be back in harness by late next month, competing in a Thailand Grade 1, Malaysia Grade 1 and the Mitsubishi Grade 1 junior tournaments.