All-Korean final in Holcim tilt
Second seed Lee Ye-ra and fourth pick Yo Mi bested separate foes on Saturday to arrange an all-Korean finals in the Holcim ITF Women’s Circuit Week 1 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
Lee, currently ranked No. 599 in the world, downed Taiwanese Juan Ting-fei, 6-2, 7-5, while the world No. 623 Yoo walloped eighth seed Nicha Lertpitaksinchai, 6-1, 6-3.
The winner in the 10 a.m. title showdown earns 40 ITF ranking points
The 22-year-old Lee needed one hour and 28 minutes to wrap up the match as her Taiwanese rival, a veteran of the Mitsubishi ITF tournament in Manila last March, put up a gallant stand in the second set.
Lee started hot and raced to a commanding 5-1 lead in the first set, but Juan fought back early in the second set with her aggressive plays at the net.
The Taiwanese even took a 5-2 advantage but Lee recovered her form just in time to turn things around in her favor.
Unlike Lee, Yoo had an easier time barging into the finals.
The 23-year-old native of Daegu, South Korea came through with pin-point shots and was aided by Nicha’s erratic service in the second set.
The Thai bet tied the count at 3-all tie, but Yoo intensified her attack to finally settle the issue.



