Filipino Maristella Torrecampo makes a forehand return to Hannah Tay of Singapore, 6-2, 6-2, in the quarterfinal round of the ITF Asia U14 Development Championships in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Thursday (Feb. 5, 2026). She won, 6-2, 6-2. (Contributed photo)
Philippine junior tennis continued its strong showing on the regional stage as Alexi Luca Rafael Aldemita and Maristella Torrecampo advanced to the semifinals of the ongoing ITF Asia U14 Development Championships in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Aldemita, the tournament’s fourth seed and based in Dubai, delivered a composed and convincing performance in the boys’ singles quarterfinals, dispatching eighth seed Muhammad Gill of Pakistan, 6-2, 6-2. The win sets up a high-stakes semifinal clash against top seed Nicholas Park of Singapore, who booked his spot with a straight-sets victory over Vietnam’s Phu Le.
Joining Park and Aldemita in the semifinals are second seed Leon Ho of Singapore and fifth seed Tuan Vu of Vietnam. Ho eliminated Filipino seventh seed Marcus Go, 6-2, 6-1, while Vu edged Pakistan’s Muaz Shahbaz, 6-2, 7-6 (1), in a tighter contest.
In the girls’ draw, Torrecampo, seeded third, continued her steady run with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Singapore’s Hannah Tay. She now faces a formidable test against top seed Binh To of Vietnam, who cruised past Kanza Ismail of Maldives, 6-2, 6-1.
The other girls’ semifinal pairing will see Mongolia’s Aissata Adama take on Vietnam’s Linh Nguyen. Adama shocked second seed Zixi Wang of Singapore, 6-3, 6-1, while Nguyen dominated Khadija Khalil of Pakistan, 6-0, 6-1.
Team Philippines captain Gerhard Mamawal credited his players’ mental growth for their deep run in the tournament.
“The level of confidence, maturity, and tennis IQ is what brought them to the semifinals,” Mamawal said on Friday. “Staying composed throughout the match will be crucial now, especially with Team Vietnam expected to really challenge our players. That’s why we’re here—to grow as players and as people.”
In doubles action, the Filipino pair of Aldemita and Go saw their campaign end in the semifinals after falling to third seeds Tuan Vu and Phu Le, 6-2, 6-2. Vu and Le will face top seeds Pak and Ho in the final after the latter dominated Bhutan’s Tenzin Dudu and Pelthop Tshering, 6-1, 6-1.
On the girls’ side, top seeds Binh To and Linh Nguyen eliminated Filipinas Torrecampo and Ella Paglalunan, 6-2, 6-3, to reach the championship round. They will meet second seeds Zixi Wang and Hannah Tay, who overpowered Bangladesh’s Jannat Howlader and Mastora Afrin, 6-1, 6-2.
With multiple semifinalists and finals appearances, the Philippine junior squad continues to signal its growing presence and promise in Asian age-group tennis.