Jones hurdles Viet in ITF Asia jrs opener

MANILA, Philippines - Fil-British Meredith Jones flashed top form and overwhelmed Phuong Nguyen Thu of Vietnam, 6-0, 6-2, to lead the opening day winners in the Ajay Pathak Memorial Cup/ITF Asia 14-and-under Development Championships 2013 Division I at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center yesterday.

But while Jones, listed at No. 14 in the latest ITF ranking, rolled into the second round of the event which drew the region’s top and rising players in the ranks, compatriot Monica Therese Cruz fell by the wayside, dropping a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Komola Umarova of Uzbekistan.

Hong Kong’s Lam Wing Kiu likewise ended the hopes of local bet Janella Llavore, 7-5, 6-0, even as Korean Park Mi Jeong held off Iran’s Sadaf Vaziri, 6-3, 6-4, in the other featured match in the event, sponsored by the ITF Grand Slam Development Fund and the Philippine Tennis Academy.

In other results, Kyrgyzstan’s Eliza Askarova trounced Viet Linh Nguyen, 6-4, 6-1, while Chinese Youmi Zhuoma fought back from a set down to beat Sruta Gunugan of India, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Jerome Romualdez, No. 29 in the boys’ side of the ITF ranking, succumbed to Viet’s Dac Tien Nguyen, 6-1, 6-1, while Thai Pichayatida Jandaeng blanked Tsang Wai Yu of Hong Kong, 6-0, 6-0, and Medhira Samarasinghe of Sri Lanka defeated Leila Azimova of Kyrgyzstan, 6-0, 7-5.

Chinese Zhang Changli beat Sherzod Radjabov of Uzbekistan, 6-0, 6-2, in the event supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Technifibre Balls, Wilkins, Mariposa Foundation and Trans-Asia Corp.

Other local players vying in the event, held in honor of the late former Philta and ITF official Ajay Pathak, are Alberto Lim Jr., Jan Godfrey Seno, Arthur Craig Pantino and John Bryan Otico.

Joining Jones in the hunt for the girls’ crown and ranking points are Chrislyn Sioson, Rafaela Jean Villanueva, Meredith Jones and Janelle Llavore.