Francis Casey Alcantara thumped Kittipong Chienwichai of Thailand, 6-4, 6-2, to clinch a semifinal seat in the Phinma International Juniors Week 1 on Friday at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

Alcantara, the only Filipino left in the Grade 4 tournament, came through with pin-point shots to send his Thai opponent scrambling for returns especially in the second set which he won easily.

The pride of Cagayan de Oro City had a tough time in the first set where the Thai engaged him in a fierce exchange of shots to the delight of the crowd. But in the end, the experience of Alcantara made the difference.

The 17-year-old Alcantara battles Kazuma Kawachi for one of the two finals berth today.

The Japanese pulled off a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 triumph over compatriot Soichiro Moritani.

“Magiging patient lang ako sa laro ko [tomorrow] kasi first time kong makakalaban yung Japanese. Tingin ko naman kakayanin ko,” said Alcantara, who fired four aces that lessened the impact of his five double faults.

Alcantara also kept his double-title bid alive when he and partner, Leander Lazaro eked out a 7-5, 7-6 (1) win over Sylvester Alamdar of Thailand and Louis Donczyk of Germany in the doubles event last Thursday.