Canadian top seed Jay Lin Gibson powered through his opening match in the boys’ singles category of the Coca-Cola Philta International Juniors, defeating Singapore’s Luke Jie Xi Ho, 6-4, 6-3, at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center on Tuesday.
The 16-year-old Gibson ranked No. 330 in the ITF Juniors rankings, displayed his dominance and earned a second-round matchup against Thailand’s Puchit Sukjai, who rallied past Japan’s Yoshito Oda, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-2.
Strong performances by other seeds
Other notable victories in the boys’ singles category included:
- Hao-Yu Lin (No. 2) and Xiao Feng Zhou (No. 4) from Chinese Taipei.
- Japanese players Ren Matsumura (No. 3), Koki Nara (No. 6), and Takahiro Kawaguchi (No. 8).
- Filipino contender Miguel Iglupas (No. 5).
- Australian Connor McEvoy (No. 7).
Boys doubles action
In the boys’ doubles, top-seeded pair Zhou and Hao-Yu Lin defeated Thailand’s Ryu Kotikula and Indonesia’s Brandon Lehman, 7-5, 6-3. They advance to face Fu Wang Choi of Hong Kong and Luke Jie Xi Ho, who outlasted Japan’s Toki Adachi and Thailand’s Pavompruch Nganbunsri, 7-5, 6-4.
Second-seeded pair Ren Matsumura and Yoshito Oda cruised past India’s Anirudh Palanisamy and Korea’s Park Jae Yeon, 6-1, 6-2. Meanwhile, Japan’s Nara and Kawaguchi, seeded third, swept Jonathan Higa of the United States and Filipino Gavin Kraut, 6-0, 6-0.
Surprises in the girls’ singles
The girls’ singles saw several upsets, with Korean players making their mark:
- Choi Soo Young defeated second seed Huang Yi-Ching of Chinese Taipei, 7-5, 6-1.
- Choi Jeong In overcame third seed Stefi Marithe Aludo, 6-4, 6-3.
Other seeds advancing included:
- Oh Jiyun (No. 1), Lim Sa Rang (No. 6), and Choi Min Young (No. 7) from Korea.
- Yu Tsen Ko (No. 4) from Chinese Taipei.
- Naomi Hagi (No. 5) from Hong Kong.
- Taylah Lessue (No. 8) from Australia.
Dominance in girls doubles
In the girls’ doubles, top seeds Huang and Yu Tsen Ko easily defeated Filipino wild cards Sandra Bautista and Erynne Francesca Ong, 6-0, 6-0. Advancing alongside them were:
- Oh Jiyun (Korea) and Daniella Clara Suryapranata (Indonesia).
- Third seeds Hagi (Hong Kong) and Tarita Hongsyok (Thailand).
- Fourth-seeded Korean pair Choi Min Young and Choi Soo Young.
With solid performances in both singles and doubles categories, the tournament continues to highlight emerging talent in the junior tennis circuit.
