Angelica Alcala in action during the Junior Fed Cup Asia/Oceania qualifying tournament in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Thursday (March 15, 2018). (Photo courtesy of www.papare.com)
MANILA -- The Philippines bowed to Sri Lanka, 0-3, in the semifinal round of the Under-16 Junior Fed Cup Asia/Oceania pre-qualifying tournament at the Sri Lanka Tennis Center in Colombo Friday.
Amanda Gabrielle Zoleta lost to Anjalika Kurera, 0-6, 0-6, in the first singles match, while Ma. Patricia Lim absorbed a 2-6, 1-6 defeat from Savini Jayasuriya in the second singles match.
Zoleta and Angelica Alcala fell to Kurera and Oneli Perera, 1-6, 1-6, in the doubles match.
"We tried our best but our opponents played very well," said the 15-year-old Alcala, who debuted in the ITF Juniors Circuit in Manila last November.
The Philippines hopes to win against Mongolia in the battle for third place and get the last of three slots in the final qualifying round.
Sri Lanka and Singapore have earned the first two tickets in the final qualifying tournament to be held in Kuching, Sarawak on April 16-21.
"Sri Lanka is solid. One of its players, Savini Jayasuriya, is also a member of the Fed Cup team, which competed in Bahrain last February," said coach Czarina Mae Arevalo in an online interview Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, the Philippine boys' team of Michael Francis Eala II, Jose Antonio Tria, and Matthew Anton Garcia will compete in the Junior Davis Cup final qualifying event on April 9-14, also in Kuching.
The final qualifying events in Sarawak will select the teams that will advance to the Junior Davis and Fed Cup Finals in Budapest, Hungary in September.
Last week, Colombo City also hosted the pre-qualifying match of the Under-14 World Juniors Tennis Championships Asia/Oceania Zonal competition.
The Philippine team composed of Marc Andrei Jarata, Axl Lajon Gonzaga, and Rupert Ohrelle Tortal finished fifth after beating Kuwait, 3-0.
The four teams that advanced to the final qualifying event in Nonthaburi, Thailand were Sri Lanka and Qatar (boys), and Lebanon and Malaysia (girls). The boys’ competition is scheduled on March 26-31, while the girls’ tournament will be on April 2-7.
The winners of the final qualifying will advance to the ITF World Junior Tennis Championships Finals slated to be held in Prostejov, Czech Republic on August 6-11. (PNA)
