Top seed, Pantino gain semis in Phinma tennis

MANILA, Philippines — Top seed Bryan Otico moved two wins from adding the Phinma-PSC Juniors Tennis Championship to his growing list of victories as he toppled Indonesian Odeda Arazza, 6-4, 6-1, yesterday to advance to the Final Four at the Manila Polo Club in Forbes Park yesterday.

Barely holding off the game Arazza in the opening frame, the 18-year-old Otico settled down and imposed his will and strength in the second, yielding just one game to complete his third straight-set romp in Week 2 of the annual Group 4 ITF (International Tennis Federation) 18-and-under event sponsored by the Philippine Investment Management Consultants (Phinma) and Technifiber.

The Philippine Tennis Academy standout, however, will have his hands full against No. 4 Taiyo Yamanaka, who also kept his run with a 6-2, 6-2 demolition of compatriot Kei Manaka in the upper half of the 32-player draw of the event sanctioned by the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta).

Third seed Arthur Pantino, meanwhile, survived Japanese Ryota Ishii, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3, to get another crack at Shunsuke Mitsui, who stayed on track for a sweep of the two ITF Phinma titles with a 6-0, 6-3 romp over local bet Michael Eala.