The girls doubles finalists pose with SLTA deputy president and tournament director Douglas Telajan (fourth left), ITF supervisor Ibrahim Ahmad Shaffiee (second right) and officials after the prize presentation. — Photo by Ting Tieng Hee
Erik Grevelius of Sweden (left) and Hikaru Shiraishi of Japan with their trophies after winning the boys doubles final. – Photo by Chai Chang Yu
KUCHING: Anri Nagata and Naho Sato of Japan clinched the girls doubles crown of the 31st Sarawak Chief Minister’s Cup (I) ITF Tennis Championship (Grade 1) when they outlasted Viktoria Morvayova of Slovakia and Moyuka Uchijima of Japan at the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) Tennis Centre yesterday.
The Japanese pair went down 4-6 in the first set but fought back gallantly to win the second set 7-5 and went on to win the super tie-breaker 10-5 in a match that took one hour and 20 minutes.
Earlier, Viktoria and Moyuka had dumped top seeds Lulu Sun (Switzerland) and Zheng Qinwen (China) 6-2, 6-4 while Anri-Naho upset the second seeds Park Sohyun (South Korea) and Mananchaya Sawangkaew (Thailand) in straight sets of 6-4, 6-4.
Naho, the top seed in the girls singles, is in line for a double win today when she plays fifth seed Yuki Naito in an all-Japanese final.
She beat her campatriot Anri Nagata 6-2, 6-1 in the semi-finals while Yuki triumphed 6-3, 6-4 over fourth seed Zheng Qinwen from China.
The combined pair of Erik Grevelius of Sweden and Hikaru Shiraishi of Japan claimed the boys doubles crown after they beat another combined pair Arthur Craig Pantino (Philippines) and Beibit Zhukayez (Kazakhstan) in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 in the final on the President Court.
Erik and Hikaru had earlier completed the abandoned semi-final match on a Friday by defeating Baptiste Anselmo (France) and Brian Bencic (Switzerland) also by 6-4, 6-4.
Meanwhile, tournament third seed Dalibor Svrcina of Czech Republic will play 16th seed Jack Draper of Great Britain in today’s boys singles final after he beat 13th seed Han Seon Yong of South Korea 6-3, 6-0 in the semi-final while Draper was a surprise 6-1, 6-3 winner over ninth seed Jiri Lehecka of Czech Republic.