Balce, Orteza reach Juntaphil Cup semis

Manila, Philippines - Maia Balce tripped Maria Eminga, 6-1, 6-0, while Isabela Orteza booted out Mae Saraza, 6-2, 6-0, as the top two seeds breezed into the semifinal round of the girls’ 14-under division in the Juntaphil age group tennis tournament at the Baguio Tennis Club outdoor courts in Burnham Park Thursday.

The top ranked Balce faces fourth ranked Mariz Gonzales, a 6-2, 6-2 winner of Mae Regala, while Orteza takes on third seed Erika Manduriao, who held off Chrislyn Sioson, 6-3, 7-6(6), for berths in the finals of the Group 2 tournament sponsored by First Gen Corp. and Smart Communication.

Sioson and Saraza, meanwhile, reached the semis of the girls’ 12-under class with a pair of shutout wins over Korinne Laza and Bea Ocampo.

They tangle with Regala and Jovy Macaraeg, respectively, for spots in the championship round of the tournament backed by Tecnifibre, APM Agricom, Pet One, Accel, Kimura Chaves Enterprise, Friends of Juntaphil, Gigi Travers, Orlando Galang, Vic Buencamino, Jr., Enrique Zalamea and Victor Co. 

In boys’ 18-U category, fancied Deo Talatayod survived Jeremia Latorre, 7-5, 6-4, to set up a semis duel with No. 4 Alfonso Opulencia, who outlasted Kyle Joseph, 6-2, 4-6, 10-5, while second seed Alberto Villamor also went through a wringer before subduing Joshua Cano, 6-1, 6-7(5), 10-6, in the lower half of the draw.

Top seed Mimo Tomacruz, meanwhile, cruised past Mahmod Dimakuta, 6-0, 6-0, to arrange a semis clash with No. 6 Manuel Balce III, who upended fourth seed Raphael Teng, 6-3, 6-3. Second seed Jerome Romualdez and No. 3 Cenon Gonzales Jr. dispute the other finals berth after beating Marcus Del Rosario, 6-2, 6-2, and Ariel Frencillo via walkover win, respectively.

Michael Francis Eala, on the other hand, primed up for the 10-unisex championship as he waylaid Enrique Jugo, 6-0, 6-0, for a semis collision with third seed Diego Dayrit, who held off Karl Miguel, 6-1, 7-5. Unranked Bianca Pica dominated Sabrina Alano, 6-1, 6-2, to arrange a semis faceoff with fourth seed Marcus del Rosario, who outclassed Joseph Soriano, 6-0, 6-2.