ZHANGJIAGANG, CHINA – Filipino tennis player Francis Casey Alcantara, alongside Thai partner Pruchaya Isaro, finished as runners-up in the men’s doubles final at the Zhangjiagang International Challenger this past Saturday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Alcantara and Isaro were defeated by Japan’s Kaichi Uchida and Takeru Yuzuki with scores of 6-1, 7-5. Despite the loss, Alcantara reflected positively on their performance. “Our opponents played better and they deserved the win,” said Alcantara in an interview on Sunday. He added, “But overall, I am still very happy in reaching my seventh ATP Challenger final,” highlighting his seasoned career including participations in the Davis Cup, Southeast Asian Games, and Asian Games.
Alcantara’s journey to the final included a semifinal victory over Hsiou Hsu of Chinese Taipei and Fajing Sun of China, securing a win with scores of 6-4, 6-3. On the other hand, Uchida and Yuzuki advanced to the final after a tightly contested match against Mikalai Haliak of Belarus and Lukas Pokorny of the Slovak Republic, which they won 7-6 (9), 6-3.
Looking ahead, Alcantara is set to compete in the Road to the Rolex Shanghai Masters starting Monday, followed by the Guangzhou Huangpu International Open from September 9 to 15. Reflecting on the upcoming challenges, he remains hopeful: “It’s a tough field. I hope we can play well.” Earlier this year, Alcantara achieved notable success by winning three titles—one in Chennai, India with Indonesian partner Christopher Rungkat and two in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand with Thai partner Maximus Jones.