LA Salle student John Bryan Otico took the boys’ singles of the International Tennis Federation Grade 4 junior tournament at Victoria Park Sunday in Hong Kong.
The 17-year-old Otico pulled off a 6-1, 6-3 triumph over doubles’ partner Nathanasith Kunsuwan of Thailand in the championship round.
Otico told the Manila Standard in an email that he earned his first championship this year with the help of the Philippine Tennis Academy and his coach Jun Toledo, who guided him all throughout the tournament.
It was his third crown after winning a pair of doubles’ championships in the two-leg Phinma-Philippine Sports Commission juniors’ netfest in Manila last November.
In the first leg, he and Japanese teammate Seito Watanabe beat Christian Didier Chin and Digvijay Singh, 4-6, 6-2, 10-7, in the boys’ doubles’ finals.
In the second leg, they prevailed over Japanese tandem Tomoya Ikeda and Keisuka Seito, 6-4, 3-6, 10-5, for their second title together.
During the Hong Kong meet, the top-seeded Otico hurdled Denton Ho, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 7-5, in the semifinals.
Before that, he disposed of Chang Lin Tsai, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, in the first round and then disposed of Arthur Chau, 6-4, 6-1, in the second round.
Then, he put away Ki Lung Ng, 6-1, 7-6(4), in the quarterfinals.
