Tennis

Alcantara, Gonzales drop 3-set heartbreaker in Florida ITF doubles

Ariel Ian Clarito

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Alcantara, Gonzales drop 3-set heartbreaker in Florida ITF doubles

EXIT. Francis Casey Alcantara (right) and Ruben Gonzales end their Florida run.

File photo by Josh Albelda/Rappler

National team veterans Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales fall to the 3rd seeds in the quarterfinals of the ITF World Tennis Tour

Philippine team mainstays Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales almost pulled the rug from their favored opponents but could not get the breaks in the deciding super tiebreak as they were booted out in the quarterfinals of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) ASC BMW $25,000 World Tennis Tour in Naples, Florida.

Up against tournament 3rd seeds Conner Huertas del Pino and Alexander Merino of Peru, Alcantara and Gonzales hung tough but could not wield the upset axe as they fell in 3 gripping sets, 7-6 (11-9), 4-6, 10-7, on Thursday, February 25 (Friday, February 26, Philippine time). 

After losing the 1st set by the slimmest of margins, the Filipinos bounced back strong in the 2nd set by going up a break and tying the match at one set apiece. 

The 3rd set super tiebreak was a close affair as the Filipino and Peruvian tandems were tied at 4-all. But Del Pino and Merino won 3 straight points to go up 7-4 which proved to be the pivotal run in the match. 

“We were playing so much better compared to last week. It’s really hard to play a super tiebreak because we need to focus on every single point. Just one missed opportunity and our opponents grabbed the lead from us already,” said Alcantara in an interview with Rappler. 

Alcantara and Gonzales won their first round match against the American pair of Justin Butsch and Alex Rybakov via walkover. The veteran Filipino pair played their first match in the international circuit last week in almost a year and they also dropped a three-set super tiebreak in the first round of the ITF M25 Naples event. 

From Florida, Alcantara will be moving to Los Angeles where he will be playing singles in a number of tournaments and San Diego for another ITF $25,000 doubles event. 

Gonzales, on the other hand, will be stepping up in the level of competition as he joins an ATP Challenger event in Cleveland with Ruan Roelofse of South Africa. – Rappler.com 

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