Francis Casey Alcantara, a two-time SEA Games men’s doubles gold medalist, is one win away from what could be the best result of his professional career.
Alcantara teamed up with Fajing Sun of China and escaped with a thrilling three-set triumph over Dan Cukierman of Israel and Adria Soriano Barrero of Colombia, 3-6, 6-3, 10-8, in the semifinals of the ATP Challenger Open Castilla y Leon in Spain on Friday, July 27.
Not only did Alcantara and Sun come back from a set down, but they also overcame a 5-7 deficit in the supertiebreak. They managed to take the next three points and move ahead, 8-7. Though Alcantara’s double fault tied the score at 8-8, they didn’t let it hinder them, and they held steady in the end game to win the next two points and seal the match.
The unseeded duo of Alcantara and Sun has been on a giant-killing spree in this €64,000 event held in El Espinar, in the province of Segovia. They started with an opening-round shocker, defeating former world number 5 David Marrero and former world number 8 Fernando Verdasco of Spain, 6-2, 3-6, 10-8.
In the quarterfinals, they continued their impressive run by defeating the top seeds of the tournament, former US Open finalist Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan and Divij Sharan of India, in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
In Saturday’s finals, Alcantara and Sun will be facing another big-name pair, the fourth seed Pierre Hughes-Herbert and Dan Added of France. Hughes-Herbert, the former world number one, has won the men’s doubles titles in all four grand slam events, including twice in the French Open.
