PH seals 1-2 finish in SEAG tennis doubles
Credit to Author: Josef T. Ramos, TMT| Date: Sat, 07 Dec 2019 16:17:37 +0000
Jeson Patrombon and Francis Alcantara bested their compatriots Ruben Gonzales and Treat Conrad Huey, 7-6, 7-5, on Saturday to complete a gold and silver finish for the Philippines in the men’s doubles tennis competition of the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex tennis court.
of the 30th Southeast Asian Games on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex tennis court. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN
Patrombon and Alcantara relied on on strong backhands and seamless teamwork to outwit their rivals.
The duo embraced to celebrate their victory that earned them their first SEAG medal.
“First time, it’s my first time gold [in the SEAG],” said Patrombon, who just completed his sixth SEAG stint. “At the start, we experienced some pressure because we’re also playing against our teammates. Congratulations also to Ruben and Treat.”
Alcantara admitted they won the second set out of pure luck after their shots elicited a furious rally from their opponents late in the game. Patrombon and Alcantara sustained their aggression despite the tiebreak in second set to seal the win.
“Medyo may swerte talaga (We just got lucky),” said Alcantara who started playing in the biennial meet in 2013. “It’s very amazing. It is my third SEA Games. I just don’t know what to say.”
Patrombon and Alcantara defeated Vietnamese rivals Daniel Cao Nguyen and Nguyen Van Phuong, 6-3, 6-1, in the semifinals on Friday to forge an all-Filipino finals.
Huey and Gonzales beat Vietnamese Le Quoc Khanh and Ly Hoang Nam, 6-1, 6-3, in the other semifinals pairing.
Patrombon also won a bronze medal with fellow Pinoy AJ Lim in the men’s singles.