Pinoy netter Patrombon scores another twin kill in Thailand tourney

Tournament top seed Jeson Patrombon showed his maturity anew in the Chang LTAT-ITF Junior Championship, pulling out a tough 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over Dutchman Paul Monteban in Nonthaburi, Thailand. The 17-year-old Patrombon, who also advanced in the quarterfinals of the boys' doubles with partner Jaden Grinter of New Zealand, will next face Romania's Teodor Nicolae Marin in singles play in the ITF Grade I event. The 10th-seeded Marin entered the Round of 16 after a 6-3, 6-2 win over unseeded Jordan Thompson of Australia. Monteban managed to match Patrombon's skills in their Round of 32 match, but the Iligan City native showed composure against his rival's determined bid. "It was a battle of the minds and Jeson proved to be the tougher one until the end," said coach Manny Tecson. "At this level, it's not about the ranking that counts, but how a player manages the big points, and how a player pulls himself together to withstand the constant pressure being thrown at you by your opponents," added Tecson. Tied at 1-set apiece, the 10th-ranked Patrombon broke Monteban's service early in the deciding third frame, but his Dutch opponent still managed to put up a scare in the ninth game with the Filipino ace serving for game point. With Patrombon enjoying triple match point (40-0), Monteban won the next two points to put some pressure on the youthful Filipino. But Patrombon held on, engaging Monteban in a long rally before the latter committed an unforced error that somehow zapped the fight out of him. "The level of the competition is as high as that of Grade A, and all the players are extremely good. A lot of the seeded players were booted out in the first or second round. That is why I'm very satisfied with the way Jeson fought, and as far as his physical condition is concerned, it is holding up to the challenge," said Tecson. Patrombon and Grinter also marched to the quarterfinals after posting a 6-1, 6-4 victory over the eighth-seeded pair of China's Xin Gao and Wang Chieh-Fu of Chinese-Taipei. The fourth-seeded duo of Patrombon and Grinter guns for a semis seat against the No. 2 pair of Pedja Krstin of Serbia and Russia's Maxim Lunkin, who downed Gregoire Barrere and Enzo Couacaud of France, 6-2, 2-6 (10-4). – JVP, KY, GMA News