Aludo misses PWO main draw

Hometown bet Stefi Aludo tried but failed to join Alex Eala and three other Pinay bets in the main draw of the Philippine Women’s Open (PWO).

Crumbling under tremendous pressure and relentless attacks thrown by Japanese Sakura Hosogi, Aludo yielded, 1-6, 2-6, in the last round of the two-day qualifiers on Sunday at the newly-renovated Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

Aludo’s valiant stand, backed by the loud cheers of the hopeful home crowd, wasn’t enough to earn an entry into the country’s historic first-ever hosting of a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 125 tournament.  

The top-seeded netter in the qualifier was unstoppable as the 25-year-old Japanese finished off Aludo in one hour and four minutes of action that was suspended for 30 minutes due to rain.

Despite the seemingly cakewalk entry in the main draw opening today, the world No. 298 Hosogi admitted that booting out Aludo was no easy task.   

“She’s a good player. There were so many people today, so I was nervous but I enjoyed the match,” said Hosogi, who boasts of seven International Tennis Federation titles.

“I had to stay focused throughout my match.”

Tied at 2-2 in the second set, Hosogi held her serve and won the next four games to end the match.

“I had nothing to lose. I tried to switch my game and I varied my shots but my Japanese opponent was so good,” the 17-year-old Aludo said.

“But I learned a lot from her. Next time I needed to be more focused on my game and not be intimidated.”

Hosogi established a 3-0 lead to start the opening frame. Aludo, who won two bronze medals in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last December, held her serve in the fourth game only for her Japanese foe to win the next three points to complete the sweep.

Aludo won’t leave the court empty-handed as she will receive $800 or about P47,173 for making it to the second round.

The Agusan del Sur native swept past Filipino netter Angeline Alcala, 6-1, 6-0, in the first qualifying round last Saturday.

Joining Hosogi from the qualifiers was compatriot Miho Kuramochi, who routed American Mia Horvit 6-2, 6-1, and Russian Viktoria Morvayova, who took out Argentina’s Nicole Fossa Huergo 7-5, 6-3.