Pantino sets priorities for new year

MANILA, Philippines — Rising tennis star Iggy Pantino will migrate to the US with his parents and a younger sister by June, setting the stage to play at the next level now that he has outgrown the 18-and-under junior division.

Pantino is in Grade 11 at the University of San Carlos in Cebu and when he moves to the US, probably in San Diego, he’ll hook up with a high school to finish Grade 12 before deciding where to enroll for college. So far, he has athletic scholarship feelers from several Division I schools, including Pepperdine, Northwestern, Loyola Marymount, Alabama, Louisiana State and San Diego.

The 5-11 teener just ended his most productive year in tennis, taking out reigning PCA Open champion Johnny Arcilla, 6-3, 6-4, in the semis then surviving three match points to hack out a 5-7, 7-6, 6-1 win over SEA Games men’s doubles gold medalist Jeson Patrombon in the Dagitab Festival final before a home crowd, including his family, in Naga, Cebu, two weeks ago. It was also during the year when he won a Grade 3 tournament in Kuala Lumpur, a Grade 2 competition in Beijing and two Grade 4 ITF junior titles at the Manila Polo Club. He saw action in the US Open qualifiers in New York, losing to Germany’s Milan Welte, 6-4, 6-3, in a hard-fought contest. The Ormoc-born Pantino is ranked world No. 73 in the junior division with a 30-8 record in singles last year.

“The highlight of my year was winning in Cebu,” said Pantino who stayed in Manila for eight years, sponsored by the Philippine Tennis Academy (PTA) then went back home to Cebu last October. “At first, I didn’t want my family to watch. I was afraid of losing badly. But they all wanted to watch. Against Kuya Johnny, I outlasted him in long rallies and ran for every ball. It wasn’t easy beating him. In the final, I was more aggressive. I went up, 5-3, in the first set but Kuya Jeson came back to win it, 7-5. I got a little discouraged. In the second set, I saved three match points before taking it, 7-6. Then, I won the third set, 6-1. Of all the players I went up against last year, I learned a lot from Rune Holger of Denmark. We played in a Grade 1 tournament in Nonthaburi, Thailand, and I lost, 6-1, 6-1. Rune’s only 16, ranked No. 2 in the world juniors. He was consistent from start to finish.”

Pantino said his priorities this year are to make an impact in the US once he’s settled in and if and when he’s called up, to play competitively for the country in the Davis Cup. It’s his consuming dream to wear the national colors. This year, the Philippines will host Greece in the first round of the Davis Cup World Group II playoffs on March 6-7. Greece is expected to be led by World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas, a 6-4, 21-year-old standout who has earned over $10.4 million in his career.

“I have a lot to work on to improve,” said Pantino. “My serve is still on and off. I hope to be more aggressive at the net, add power to my forehand and increase my speed. I also want to finish stronger. In Maryland last August, I played against Andrew Dale and lost, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6. We were tied, 5-5, in the third set but I couldn’t close it out.”

Pantino’s coach Jun Toledo said his protégé is ripe for the US NCAA. “When he moves to the US, I expect him to dominate in high school and draw a lot of attention from Division I scouts,” said Toledo.