Pinoy Olivarez loses to Korean Yeong in semis of ITF Asia tennis

FILIPINO Eric Olivarez Jr. squandered his chance at making the finals as he blew a lead in the third set and succumbed 0-6, 6-4, 3-6, to top-seed Oh Chan Yeong of Korea in the semifinal round of the ITF Asia 14-and-Under Development Championships–Division I at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center yesterday.
It was a sorry setback for top Filipino junior netter, who broke his fancied rival early to seize a 2-0 lead in the decider but cracked up when the Korean ace, chasing a second straight crown in the event, flashed his brilliance.
Oh goes for a sweep of the twin titles at stake in the two-week long event as he faces No. 5 Jurabek Karimov of Uzbekistan, who overpowered
Chinese-Taipei’s Wu Tung Lin, 6-2, 6-1, in the other semis clash.
Still, it was a solid finish by Olivarez, who will turn 14 on April 13, who showed a lot of promise after upending No. 8 Wang Hsiang Yi, 7-5, 4-6, 11-9, in the second round then surviving Korean Lim Min Soeb in a grueling 4-6, 7-6(5), 13-11 victory in the quarters. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio